Florida's insurance regulator demands detailed prescription drug data

Florida’s insurance regulator has demanded an unusually intrusive trove of data on millions of prescription drugs filled in the state last year, including the names of patients taking the medications, their dates of birth and doctors they’ve seen. The Florida Office of Insurance Regulation in January sought this information from pharmacy benefit managers like UnitedHealth’s Optum Rx and CVS Health’s Caremark, companies that oversee prescription drugs for employers and government programs. More from the Orlando Sentinel and US News & World Report.

Fight over anesthesia in Florida before state lawmakers heats up again

Nurse anesthetists in Florida are not giving up their quest for autonomy. Anesthesiologists are fighting back, arguing patient safety. Nurse anesthetists in Florida, estimated to number 6,400, have been pursuing a change in state law for 10 years without success to be relieved from supervision of physician anesthesiologists. The intent is to practice independently. [Source: Naples Daily News]

‘Florida seniors have a lot to lose’: Medicaid cuts could devastate the state’s elderly in nursing homes

Medicaid is the primary payer for nursing-home care in Florida — and the only way that two-thirds of nursing-home residents can afford help with daily tasks such as eating, bathing and dressing. What would happen if Florida no longer had the money to pay for senior care? Would family members need to step in and provide the care, or pay the bill? Would some nursing homes close? These questions are top of mind in Florida as Congress looks at where to make federal cuts. [Source: South Florida Sun-Sentinel]

Centene legal settlements are still unfinished with two states. One is Florida

More than three years ago, health insurance giant Centene Corp. settled allegations that it overcharged Medicaid programs in Ohio and Mississippi related to prescription drug billing. Now at least 20 states have settled with Centene over its pharmacy benefit manager operation that coordinated the medications for Medicaid patients. More from Health News Florida and the Tampa Bay Times.

Lawmakers weigh medical malpractice change

Florida lawmakers are considering changing a decades-old law and clearing the way for more medical-malpractice lawsuits over patient deaths. The bills would undo part of a 1990 law that involves wrongful-death lawsuits and what are known as “non-economic” damages for such things as pain and suffering. That part of the law prevents people from seeking non-economic damages in certain circumstances. [Source: WFTV]

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ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:

› Are you at risk for measles? Miami sees case amid U.S. outbreak. What to know in Florida [Miami Herald]
Florida has reported the state’s first measles case this year as other parts of the country try to control a growing outbreak. The U.S. has recorded more than 100 cases of the disease in 2025, with ground zero Texas reporting the country’s first measles-related death in nearly a decade. Now, a Miami-Dade County teen is sick with measles.

› Florida missed self-imposed deadline for hospital immigration data [Florida Phoenix]
A March 1 deadline for the DeSantis administration to submit to the Legislature a report on the immigration status of hospital patients came and went without the report being delivered. Neither the Senate nor the Florida House of Representatives had received the statutorily required report by the deadline, according to legislative aides. The report was mandated by a 2023 immigration law passed by the Legislature before Gov. Ron DeSantis’ failed presidential bid.

› Florida legislators look to fund an Alzheimer's awareness campaign [Health News Florida]
Alzheimer’s disease is experienced by nearly 600,000 Floridians, which means their families and caregivers are impacted by it, too. Now, lawmakers are looking into legislation to beef up Florida’s response. A bill calls for the implementation of an Alzheimer’s Disease Awareness Program that would better educate residents on the importance of brain health and reducing the risk of dementia.

› Florida leukemia rates rising rapidly as population ages [MedicalXpress]
Driven by a steady influx of retirees, Florida now has the highest leukemia rates of any U.S. state and the disease is the fastest-rising cancer type statewide, according to new research from Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, part of the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine. The study, published in Blood Neoplasia, also identified a problematic mismatch between the location of Florida's leukemia "hotspots" and the availability of comprehensive leukemia treatment.

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