DPC

Update: Is This The Year Florida Recognizes Direct Primary Care?

Posted by Marc Goldsand on March 02, 2016
DPC / No Comments

House Bill 37 (“HB 37”) passed the Florida House 116-0 today. In a hostile political environment, the unanimous vote in Florida’s more conservative chamber confirms what many in the direct primary care medical (“DPC”) space already believe: that DPC is not a political issue.

HB 37’s virtually identical Senate counterpart, Senate Bill 132 (“SB 132”), is on that chamber’s “Second Reading” calendar, and also appears to be moving forward. If SB 132 is indeed approved in the coming weeks it will be sent to Governor Scott for his signature. The 2016 legislative session ends on March 11th. This one is going down to the wire.

For more information, please contact Marc I. Goldsand of Cozen O’Connor at mgoldsand@cozen.com or (786) 871-3935, or a member of Cozen O’Connor’s Health Law team.

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Is This The Year Florida Recognizes Direct Primary Care?

Posted by Marc Goldsand on February 03, 2016
Affordable Care Act, DPC, Healthcare / No Comments

shutterstock_128160911Florida House Bill 37 and Florida Senate Bill 132, similar bills aiming to expressly authorize and regulate direct primary care medical home plans in the State of Florida (“DPCs”) and both stating that DPCs are not “insurance” under State law, have been smoothly sailing through committees in their respective chambers. The House Bill has already passed through the Select Committee on Affordable Healthcare Access, the Finance and Tax Committee, and the Health and Human Resources Committee. Its next step is a vote in front of the entire House. The Senate Bill cleared the Health and Policy Committee, but no word yet from the Banking and Insurance and Fiscal Policy Committees. At some point before the session ends on March 11, 2016, if they continue to move forward, the bills will be consolidated and approved by both chambers, after which the final bill will be subject to approval or veto of Governor Rick Scott. Passage is by no means certain, but there appears to be an appetite for this law with – so far – no real opposition this year.

 DPCs are private payment agreements between primary care physicians and their patients, whereby patients typically pay low dollar (perhaps $75 to $100) monthly payments directly to the provider for primary care services, in lieu of typical insurance covering primary care services.  In return for the monthly payments (which are easily collected by credit card or cash, without the need for insurance/managed care code-based reimbursement billing), primary care providers offer at little or no additional charge an array of primary care services to the member patients. When paired with a high-deductible “wrap-around” insurance policy, the DPCs comport with the requirements of the Affordable Care Act.     

 

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