Florida’s Innovations in the Health Care
Industry:
How Policy Has Allowed for Free Market Development
Max Siemens under the supervision of Dr. Samuel Staley and Dr. Crystal Taylor
The Healthcare Situation of Florida’s New Health Policy Being that APRNs do
Florida: not need to pay the exorbitant tuition
Florida Chose to
for medical school or go through the
Florida presents a reject Medicaid expansion, perhaps a
same residency, this means that they
unique situation in regards to its decision that prevented them from
can offer the more mundane services
need for healthcare due to it’s large reaping the full rewards of the
of a medical doctor at a lower price.
elderly population. The American Affordable Care Act. Florida would;
health insurance system already however, pass legislation such as the
stifles competition, but had many legalization of direct primary care, Telehealth
further limitations placed on it by the an expansion of scope of practice, In 2022, perhaps in
Patient Protection and Affordable the ability to conduct telehealth. response to the Covid 19 pandemic,
Care Act. Florida legalized the prescription of
Direct Primary Care
Despite this, the state medication by telehealth
Created in the 1990s appointment. Schedule II drugs still
of Florida has passed legislation
and legalized in twenty-five states, remain banned from prescription by
allowing for more freedom in the
direct primary care is a system in telehealth unless they meet one of
healthcare industry and for the
which a patient can pay a medical four criteria: such as being for
development of new and possibly
practice directly instead of through psychiatrist purposes or for those in
more affordable ways for delivering
an insurance company. This allows hospice care.
healthcare. The Affordable Care Act
for a low subscription fee and the
was only made possible, because of This will cut down
ability for a patient to select a direct
the example set by the state of the cost of running a medical
practice they like instead of one
Massachusetts with their legislation. practice and allow patients to choose
which is a member of their HMO.
This legislation pioneered ideas such doctors outside of their vicinity. The
Florida legalized direct primary care
as the individual mandate, employer former effect lowers operating costs
in 2014 and it is growing across the
mandates, a purchasing pool and and the latter increases competition.
state both with practices that are
Medicaid expansion.
purely DPC and those that are hybrid A Healthy Future
In the same way that systems. Florida’s new health
Massachusetts served as a pioneer in legislation will allow for more
Scope of Practice
government involved healthcare, access to healthcare and improve
Florida will serve as a pioneer in free Beginning in 2020,
competition between providers.
market healthcare. Florida legislature allowed for
Many of the problems which were
advanced practice registered nurses
supposed to be addressed by prior
(APRN) to engage in an increased
GRAPH NOT YET CREATED more health legislation will be
scope of practice. This means that
resolved by the invisible hand in the
APRNs can administer many forms
years to come now that much red
of care that a medical doctor can,
tape has been removed.
without needing to go through
medical school.