Issue Position: Health Care

Issue Position

Health care is one of those issues that affects all of us. To promote quality, affordable health care, our state should dedicate itself to the following important principles:

1. Patients Decide. First and foremost, it is vital that patients and doctors, not administrators, make all medical decisions.

2. Incentives and Competition. The best way to ensure access to high quality, affordable health care is to introduce incentives and competition into our health care system. Competition will naturally give people more options, improve quality, and reduce costs.

3. Research and Innovation. Our state has taken a leading role in the development of biotechnology, and state and local investment in this emerging industry has already yielded dividends. Several large biotech companies are building facilities and attracting scientists to Florida. Florida's colleges and universities have also taken steps to ensure that Florida remains a leader in the health sciences. The University of Florida recently completed a 280,000 square-foot cancer and genetics building and a $39 million nanoscience building, and plans for the University of Central Florida's new medical school are progressing quickly.

4. Tort Reform. Burdensome litigation is one of the causes of the high cost of health insurance and medical services. The Legislature has already enacted measures designed to distinguish frivolous from meritorious medical malpractice claims and to promote the speedy and inexpensive settlement of these claims. For example, in 2003, when physicians were leaving the state, curtailing their practices, or retiring early because of unaffordable increases in medical malpractice premiums, we placed reasonable limits on the uncontrolled and arbitrary award of "pain and suffering" damages, and the cost of medical malpractice premiums has stabilized. We should continue to streamline the litigation of medical malpractice claims to ensure that, while injured victims are compensated, insurance carriers and services providers are not unnecessarily loaded with heavy costs which the consumer will ultimately bear. I also supported the constitutional amendment adopted by voters in 2004 that would revoke the medical licenses of practitioners who are found to have repeatedly committed medical malpractice.

5. Medicaid Reform. A systematic reform of Florida's 35-year old Medicaid program is an urgent priority. We must make the program more cost efficient and adapt it to advancements in medical technology and health services. My wife is a physician, and I see first-hand how the healthcare decisions we make in Tallahassee impact you directly. Despite the downturn in our economy the need and the cost of Medicaid services in our state has never been higher. Estimates for this year indicate that despite a real cut in the total state budget of about 15%, 150,000 more Floridians will be eligible for Medicaid this year, bringing the total to around 2.3 million people. This increase in needed services will raise the cost over half a billion dollars to $15.4 billion, a cost to taxpayers of more than $6,800 per eligible patient. These totals represent the fifth largest total of Medicaid expenditures in the nation and the fourth largest number of eligible patients. In addition to the growing need for services, Washington D.C. has shifted more and more of the costs to Florida. As you may know, the Federal government shares the funding for Medicaid, and they decide how 95% of the money is spent. Over the past few years, Florida's share of the cost has increased - in 2005 the Federal government was responsible for 59% of the funding, but this year they will only contribute 55%. This increase, coupled with the rising cost of health care, has strained our budget and forced us to look for better ways to administer the program.

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