HB 1531 2025
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hb1531-00
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F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
A bill to be entitled 1
An act relating to emergency preparedness for life -2
sustaining medical services; amending s. 252.358, 3
F.S.; requiring specified entities, plans, and 4
programs to enact flexibilities and waivers during an 5
emergency; defining the terms "emergency" and "life -6
sustaining medical services"; specifying the 7
flexibilities and waivers such specified entities, 8
plans, and programs must enact; providing when such 9
flexibilities and waivers become effective; 10
authorizing the time period for such flexibilities and 11
waivers to be extended by the Office of Insurance 12
Regulation or the Agency for Health Care 13
Administration; providing construction; providing an 14
effective date. 15
16
Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: 17
18
Section 1. Section 252.358, Florida Statutes, is amended 19
to read: 20
252.358 Emergency preparedness for life -sustaining medical 21
services Emergency-preparedness prescription medication 22
refills.— 23
(1) In order to preserve access to life -sustaining medical 24
services during an emergency, all health insurers, managed care 25
HB 1531 2025
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F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
organizations, and other entities that are licensed by the 26
Office of Insurance Regulation ; plans participating in the state 27
Medicaid managed care program; and any other health care 28
insurance program administered, regulated, or licensed by this 29
state shall enact the flexibilities and waivers identified in 30
this section, as well as any additional flexibilities or waivers 31
designated by the Offi ce of Insurance Regulation and the Agency 32
for Health Care Administration, as applicable. 33
(2) As used in this section, the term: 34
(a) "Emergency" means that a county: 35
1. Is under a state of emergency declared by an executive 36
order or proclamation issue d by the Governor under chapter 252; 37
2. Is under a hurricane warning issued by the National 38
Weather Service; or 39
3. Has activated the county's emergency operations center 40
and its emergency management plan. 41
(b) "Life-sustaining medical services" means hospital 42
care, skilled nursing care, inpatient rehabilitation, long -term 43
acute care and other post -acute care needs, durable medical 44
equipment and supplies, home health services, hospital services, 45
nursing facility services, chemotherapy, dialysis services , and 46
other care that is deemed by the provider as medically 47
necessary. 48
(3) All health insurers, managed care organizations, and 49
other entities that are licensed by the Office of Insurance 50
HB 1531 2025
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Regulation; all plans participating in the state Medicaid 51
managed care program; and any other health care insurance 52
program administered, regulated, or licensed by this state must 53
enact all of the following flexibilities and waivers during an 54
emergency: 55
(a) A waiver on the and provide prescription medication 56
coverage as part of a policy or contract shall waive time 57
restrictions on prescription medication refills, which include 58
suspension of electronic "refill too soon" edits to pharmacies, 59
to enable insureds or subscribers to refill prescriptions in 60
advance, if there are authorized refills remaining . All 61
entities, plans, and programs identified in subsection (1) , and 62
shall authorize payment to pharmacies for at least a 30 -day 63
supply of any prescription medication, regardless of the date 64
upon which the prescription had m ost recently been filled by a 65
pharmacist. 66
(b) A waiver on all prior authorization, utilization 67
management, and concurrent review requirements for patients who 68
need life-sustaining medical services. 69
(c) A waiver on transfer authorizations. 70
(d) A waiver on the time requirements for filing a notice 71
of admission for at least 30 days after the emergency ends. 72
(e) A waiver on filing and appeal deadlines and timeframes 73
during the emergency. Such deadlines and timeframes will resume 74
the day after the emergency ends. 75
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F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
(f) An extension of the time requirements on 76
authorizations or precertifications that were provided to a 77
patient before the emergency until 30 days after the emergency 78
ends. 79
(g) A waiver of out -of-network costs for patients who are 80
displaced after an emergency. 81
(h) Reimbursement to hospitals for the care provided to 82
patients because an emergency delayed patient discharge. 83
(4) The flexibilities and waivers required under 84
subsection (3) become effective , when the following conditions 85
occur: 86
(a)(1) The person seeking life-sustaining medical services 87
the prescription medication refill resides in a county that is 88
in an emergency as defined in paragraph (2)(a) : 89
(a) Is under a hurricane warning issued by the National 90
Weather Service; 91
(b) Is declared to be under a state of emergency in an 92
executive order issued by the Governor; or 93
(c) Has activated its emergency operations center and its 94
emergency management plan . 95
(b)(2) The life-sustaining medical services are 96
prescription medication refill is requested within 30 days after 97
the origination date of the emergency as defined in paragraph 98
(2)(a) conditions stated in this section or until such emergency 99
is conditions are terminated by the issuing authority or no 100
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longer exists exist. 101
(5) The time period for flexibilities and waivers the 102
waiver of prescription medication refills may be extended in 15 - 103
or 30-day increments by emergency orders issued by the Office of 104
Insurance Regulation or the Agency for Health Care 105
Administration. 106
(6) This section does not excuse or exempt an insured or a 107
subscriber from compliance with all other terms of the policy or 108
contract providing life-sustaining medical services prescription 109
medication coverage. 110
Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2025. 111