Live Healthy, a package to increase healthcare access, has passed the full Senate

WFSU

January 18, 2024

A bill to grow the state’s healthcare workforce passed the full Florida Senate today. The Live Healthy package is heading next to the Florida House.

The package was a priority for Senate President Kathleen Passidomo.

“We have 300,000 people every year moving to Florida—most of them are older. Everybody is going to need healthcare. We don’t have enough practitioners to serve the population we have now," Passidomo says. "We need to attract, I like the way they put it in the medical community—to grow—healthcare personnel.”

The package is made up of two bills. One by Lakeland Republican Senator Colleen Burton, and another by Stuart Republican Senator Gayle Harrell. Burton says her bill helps to attract and keep more healthcare workers in the state.

“We anticipate thousands more. We need thousands more," Burton says.

The measure also increases residency slots and smooths the way for healthcare providers from out of the of the state and even the country to work in Florida. Meanwhile Harrell calls her measure a “game changer.” It provides funding for healthcare innovation projects and Harrell says it partners with the goals in Burton’s bill.

“Whether it’s in technology, in workforce improvement in really changing how to deliver healthcare. And really utilizing all those talents through this endeavor and what it does, it’s really going to in the long run increase efficiency, improve outcomes and increase access—as we discussed in the previous bill—but also reduce the strain on the workforce—again what we discussed in the previous bill," Harrell says.

The bills head next to the House where Passidomo says she is “in sync” with House Speaker Paul Renner. Renner spoke in support of Passidomo’s package during his Opening Day remarks.

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