President Passidomo, Senators Burton and Harrell Announce “Live Healthy” Proposal to

Grow Florida’s Health Care Workforce

Legislation Reduces Regulatory Hurdles and Makes Key Investments to Increase Access and Incentivize Innovation

Tallahassee–Florida Senate President Kathleen Passidomo (R-Naples) joined Senator Colleen Burton (R-Lakeland), Chair of the Senate Committee on Health Policy and Senator Gayle Harrell (R-Stuart), Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee on Health and Human Services, to announce the Senate’s Live Healthy proposal. The Live Healthy package of legislation for the 2024 Legislative Session is designed to grow Florida’s health care workforce, increase access, and incentivize innovation.

“Access to health care is important at every phase of life. Insurance does not guarantee access, as even Floridians with great insurance face barriers to care. Live Healthy is a robust package of policy enhancements and strategic investments that will help make sure Florida’s health care
workforce is growing at the same pace as the rest of our great state,” said President Passidomo.

“Live Healthy will expand Florida’s health care workforce with new opportunities for education,

training and retention. This includes enhancing partnerships between our hospitals and Florida colleges and universities that train health care workers, as well as more residency slots and creative loan repayment options that drive providers to under served areas. We want to make sure our medical school graduates stay in Florida, and also attract more out-of-state residents – not only for their residencies, but to build their lives and medical practices right here in our communities,” continued President Passidomo. “We are also funding provider increases that incentivize our health care workers to continue serving in needed fields like mental health, labor and delivery, and helping Floridians with disabilities.”

“In recent years, Florida laws have been updated to ensure health care practitioners are able to serve patients to the highest extent of their training. We can never replace the critical role of a physician or specialist; however, medicine – like any other industry – evolves and innovates.
Live Healthy maintains rigorous training requirements, but removes regulatory barriers that can get in the way of quality care for patients,” said Senator Burton. “Through Live Healthy, we are expanding sites for clinical training to include more rural, remote, or other locations difficult to
access, expanding the role of medical school graduates who have passed the licensing exam and are waiting to be placed in a residency, and reducing barriers for autonomous nurse midwives,while ensuring quality care for mothers and babies.”

“Free-market principles show us that the private sector can innovate in ways government could never imagine. What government can do is facilitate the exploration and implementation of innovative technologies and delivery models that increase efficiency, reduce strain on the health care workforce, improve patient outcomes, expand public access to care, and reduce costs for patients and taxpayers without impacting the quality of patient care,” said Senator Harrell. “Our Health Care Innovation Council will convene experts on the delivery of health care to examine solutions to improve the delivery and quality of health care in our state and develop a loan program to support implementation of innovative solutions.”

“We know that our hospital emergency rooms are the most expensive real estate in our state.Live Healthy will help streamline emergency departments by creating partnerships with Community Health Centers and other primary care settings so care that is urgently needed, but not life threatening, can be handled outside of the hospital emergency room in a more efficient and appropriate setting,” said President Passidomo. “Live Healthy also expands access to preventative health screenings to ensure early diagnosis and better management of chronic disease for all Floridians.”

Full content found here: https://flsenate.gov/PublishedContent/Offices/2022-2024/President/Documents/LiveHealthyProposaltoGrowFloridasHealthCareWorkforce.pdf