Yesterday at 6:45pm, the Senate Budget Committee temporarily passed Senate Bill 1860 by Senator Negron, so that consideration of the bill could continue in a subsequent meeting which began at 2:30pm today. To all who have contacted members of this committee, thank you for your efforts.
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The House Economic Affairs Committee will take up House bill 119 – the onerous bill which would create an emergency room-only PIP system – at its next meeting, beginning at 8am tomorrow morning. While no agenda and no amendments have been formally published, the FCA has been informed that a new bill text is likely to be offered as an amendment. Any such amendment is unlikely to cure the original bill’s problems of no access to chiropractic services, allowing provider examinations under oath, mandating legal fee caps, and the many other onerous provisions of this bill that also does nothing to address criminal fraud.
Thank you to all who have followed FCA requests to send messages and engage others in messaging Florida House members about the very bad PIP bill, HB 119 by Rep. Boyd. Please continue your activity as requested in the PIP poster issued by the FCA , as only one committee stop remains in the House and we believe that hearing could take place as early as this Friday, Feb. 17. If the bill is able to clear this hurdle, it would then be ready for floor action by the entire House.
The chiropractic message on PIP and concussion issues is starting to appear in media around the state. Here are links to several items from today’s news:
(Thursday, February 9, 2012, Tallahassee) – Wednesday of this week marked the mid-point of Florida’s 2012 Legislative Session, as legislators continued their negotiations on a wide variety of issues including their two constitutionally-mandated tasks; crafting a balanced state budget and reapportioning the state’s political districts. Assuming they end their deliberations on time, March 9th will mark the end of their earlier-than-usual session (required each ten years following the decennial census).
(Thursday, 5:30pm, Tallahassee) Moments ago, the Senate Banking and Insurance Committee unanimously gave its approval to HB 1860 authored by Sen. Joe Negron (R-Palm City). The bill contains a variety of reforms preserving the state's no-fault insurance system while offering a series of fraud fighting measures designed to reduce costs. The Senate idea is dramatically different from a bill moving in the Florida House that seeks to replace PIP with a new emergency care only system.
Aposter is attached for use by your patients, staff and others incontacting Florida House members about the horrific PIP bill byRep. Boyd. His bill, CS for HB 119C, would force Floridians injuredin auto accidents to emergency rooms within 72 hours of an accidentin order to receive care and would eliminate access to chiropracticservices for auto injuries. Place this poster in your waiting room next to a laptop with internetaccess, so that patients can easily and quickly send a message totheir legislators. Sample messages appear on the poster. You canalso share it easily via e-mail with family and friends.
CS for HB 119C is not on the agenda for committee considerationthis week. Please watch future bulletins for more updates and continuecontacts to House members using instructions and messaging on theattached poster until further notice.