By Staff Report
The Florida House on Tuesday released two wide-ranging health care bills that would eliminate certain regulations and seek to reduce prescription drug prices, with House Speaker Daniel Perez, R-Miami, saying the measures help advance President Donald Trump’s healthcare “vision” in Florida.
“We are taking decisive action to cut red tape, grow our health care workforce, expand patient choice, and protect taxpayer dollars while ensuring families can access high-quality care when they need it most,” Perez said in a prepared statement.
One of the bills (HB 693), sponsored by Rep. Mike Redondo, R-Miami, is titled the “Big Beautiful Healthcare Frontier Act,” borrowing from Trump’s federal “One Big Beautiful Bill.” The 143-page proposal covers numerous issues, including the elimination of the state’s certificate-of-need (CON) process for nursing homes, hospice providers, and intermediate care facilities for people with developmental disabilities. The CON process has long been debated, as it requires state approval before facilities can be built or expanded.
Redondo’s bill also would allow independent practice by psychiatric nurse practitioners, nurse anesthetists, and clinical nurse specialists, while expanding the authority of dental hygienists to provide more services.
A companion proposal (HB 697), filed by Rep. Jennifer Kincart Jonsson, R-Lakeland, targets prescription drug costs. The measure would create a “most favored nation” pricing model aimed at preventing Floridians from paying substantially more for medications than consumers in comparable countries, according to a House summary.
Both bills are filed for the legislative session that begins Jan. 13.
Ali Moreland 
AMBER PATINO