Paulina Kluszczynska Week 8 Discussion: Bill CS/SB 7016 — Health Care         

 Paulina Kluszczynska
Week 8 Discussion: Bill CS/SB 7016 — Health Care
          Bill CS/SB 7016 — Health Care become effective March 21, 2024, in Florida state. The CS/SB 7016 — Health Care Bill was designed by the Fiscal Policy Committee and Health Policy Committee. This Bill is a big part of the initiative “Live Healthy” which the main goal is to increase access to health care services for very fast-growing Florida population (The Florida Senate, 2024). It is a very complex bill containing multiple provisions such as:
The Telehealth Minority Maternity Care Program – which increase access to health care providers via telehealth for minority ethnic groups
Mobile Response Teams – is a provision extending access to obtain behavioral health during behavioral crisis
Charitable Care at Free Clinics – a provision that increases the maximum income range from 200% to 300% of the federal poverty level to increase access to charitable free clinics to eligible population
And many more programs and regulations that will enhance the growth of health care centers and medical personnel (The Florida Senate, 2024).
          According to the Nursing Code of Ethics Provision 8 nurses should cooperate with other health care professionals and advocate for reduction of health disparities and to protect human rights (ANA, 2015). This Bill will significantly increase access to healthcare services for underserved populations. Florida has been experiencing intense population growth ranging from 350,000 to 375,000 yearly and become third most populated state in the US with over 23 million permanent residents with addition of seasonal residents and tourists (U.S.News, 2024). Florida has also the highest rate of people over the age 75 reaching 10% of permanent residents (U.S.News, 2024). These are very alarming numbers, as the growth of the health care system to meet demands will be very challenging. It can significantly increase the disparities in obtaining quality health care.
          Access to health care is one of many determinants of health (Artiga, S., & Hinton, E., 2018). Telehealth is developing rapidly, and it has great potential to positively influence patients’ health outcomes especially in rural and undeserved areas where access to healthcare providers is very limited (Curley, 2020). It is also one of the Heathy People 2030 goals to increase access to high quality healthcare by using technology and improving health and decreasing hospitalization rate (Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, 2023) This Bill will allow more undeserved people to have access to free preventive, primary and behavioral healthcare.
References
American Nursing Association. (2015). Code of ethics for nurses. American Nurses Publishing. Retrieved December 18, 2024, from https://www.nursingworld.org/practice-policy/nursing-excellence/ethics/code-of-ethics-for-nurses/Links to an external site.
Artiga, S., & Hinton, E. (2018). Beyond Health Care: The Role of Social Determinants in Promoting Health and Health Equity. Kaiser Family Foundation. Retrieved December 16, 2024, from https://www.kff.org/racial-equity-and-health-policy/issue-brief/beyond-health-care-the-role-of-social-determinants-in-promoting-health-and-health-equity/Links to an external site.
Curley, A.L. (2020). Population-based nursing: Concepts and competencies for advanced practice. (3rd ed.). Springer Publishing Company.
Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion. (2023). Healthy People 2030. Retrieved December 18, 2024, from https://odphp.health.gov/healthypeople/objectives-and-data/browse-objectives/health-care-access-and-quality/increase-proportion-adults-who-get-recommended-evidence-based-preventive-health-care-ahs-08Links to an external site.
The Florida Senate. (2024). CS/SB 7016—Health Care. Retrieved December 16, 2024, from https://www.flsenate.gov/Committees/BillSummaries/2024/html/3515Links to an external site.
U.S.News. (2024) Florida’s Population Passes 23 Million for the First Time Due to Residents Moving From Other States. Retrieved December 18, 2024, from https://www.usnews.com/news/us/articles/2024-07-23/floridas-population-passes-23-million-for-the-first-time-due-to-residents-moving-from-other-statesLinks to an external site.