Recent FSR Advocacy Accomplishments

FSR Political Committee protects YOU, your PRACTICE, and your PATIENTS by giving 100% of member contributions to help elect physician-friendly candidates that support FSR’s issues into the Florida legislature.

Your contribution to the FSR PC ensures we have a strong political presence in Tallahassee, allowing rheumatologists to have a seat at the table during critical health care discussions and reforms. We are educating Florida lawmakers about our priorities such as PBM reforms, anti-copay accumulator programs, step therapy, prior authorization and more. 

This session, because of FSR and partner medical association advocacy efforts, Governor DeSantis vetoed legislation (HB 6017) that would have repealed current medical liability protections to allow an additional class of survivors to recover unlimited non-economic damages (pain and suffering) in wrongful death medical liability actions. 

FSR will stand ready to advocate in opposition to any similar legislation in the future unless tied to a medical malpractice cap.

FSR also advocated in support and in opposition to the following legislation this session that did not ultimately pass. We will look forward to working with bill sponsors on similar policies next session:

• SUPPORT: Payment Certainty for Insurance Claims (HB 1231/SB 1526): : Proposes essential reforms to ensure payment certainty and eliminate hidden fees being charged to practices solely to receive payment for medical services they have provided. This was a priority bill during FSR February 2025 Capitol Days.

• SUPPORT: Prescription Drug Coverage Reforms (HB 899/SB 1342): Aims to ban practices by health insurers that prioritize profits over patient costs, ensuring lower out-of-pocket expenses and addressing mid-year formulary changes. This was a priority bill during FSR February 2025 Capitol Days.

• SUPPORT: Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare Decision-Making (SB 794): Mandates that decisions regarding the denial of healthcare services must involve a qualified human professional, protecting patients from AI algorithms deciding the care they receive. 

• SUPPORT: Regulation of Specialty Titles and Designations (SB 172/HB 1341): Seeks to prohibit non-physicians from misrepresenting themselves as physician specialists, maintaining the integrity of our field and ensuring patients have transparency in “who” is providing their care. The bill passed the Senate unanimously this session.

• OPPOSE: Mandatory E-Prescribing Concerns (SB 1568/HB 1297): Opposed proposed legislation that removes exceptions from existing law which would mandate e-prescribing in ALL situations. Current exemptions are necessary to allow physician discretion in prescribing based on unique patient situations. We know our patients want to price shop, have refill barriers such as drug shortages, and our patients also have prescription fill needs late nights, holidays and weekends, all requiring a patient to have a hard copy of their prescription. Though for most cases, e-prescribing is appropriate, we still need exception in Florida law when the technology would create barriers for a patient in timely getting a prescription or at the best price.