Issue Position: Improving Healthcare Access and Affordability

Issue Position

During this session, we voted for policies that put patients in control of their health care while improving access and affordability.

Beginning July 1, a new law will allow qualified advanced practice registered nurses to work autonomously in primary care and midwifery.

Another new law allows pharmacists to work with physicians to manage chronic health conditions and provide some basic health care services like testing and treatment for flu and strep.

These changes should improve access to care amid a statewide shortage of doctors made more dire by the COVID-19 crisis.

Also, Floridians will soon have an insiders' view of the patient safety culture of hospitals and other health care facilities. We passed a bill to make patient safety culture surveys public to everyone -- so that it's easier to make an informed decision about where to get a procedure done.

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