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Unless Congress acts soon, health insurance costs will rise sharply next year for millions of Americans, including more than 4 million working Floridians and their families.

Florida regulators have requested that pharmacy benefit managers turn over detailed prescription data, including patients' names, birthdates, medications, prescribing providers and dispensing pharmacies, Bloomberg reported Feb. 28.

The American people have spoken loudly, demanding the government stop implementing policies that drive up the prices of goods and services. Voters feel the pain of inflation every time they fill their gas tanks, put food in their shopping carts, or pay their heating and air conditioning bills. However, the large pharmaceutical companies seemingly didn’t get the memo and are, once again, raising prices.

When Florida adopted the Prescription Drug Reform Act, one of the goals was to increase transparency for pharmaceutical companies as well as middlemen, known as pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs).

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There’s been a lot of attention on the federal government’s move to set price limits on 10 prescription drugs under Medicare to help reduce costs. While it’s encouraging to see some relief for a segment of consumers, this is merely a drop in the bucket when it comes to overall prescription drug cost savings – and more needs to be done to help Floridians.

If rebates are a problem, why does Congress require them for government insurance plans?

Florida's population has surged in the past five years, with nearly 2 million new residents calling this state home.

Prescriptions are intended to improve how people feel – not make them feel worse. Pharmaceutical companies need to keep that in mind when they are setting drug prices and managing the supply chain.

'Given the skyrocketing cost of prescription drugs nationwide, it’s abundantly clear that pharmacy benefit companies are a vital resource in helping employees and families more affordably access the medications they desperately need.'

A healthcare report identified barriers to healthcare access in Florida, such as cost, facility accessibility, insurance coverage, and a physician shortage, while proposing technological advancements like telehealth as potential solutions.

Rising health care prices have measurably increased unemployment in the United States, according to a new study in the National Bureau of Economic Research.

It’s time for policymakers to look at the facts, recognize the vital role pharmacy benefit companies play in the already shaky health care ecosystem, and safeguard the interests of businesses and their employees by opposing such legislation when it inevitably makes the rounds in the halls of Congress again.

Dean of Floridians for Affordable Healthcare says he, too, finds the charges unreasonable.

If you’ve ever felt the pinch of healthcare expenses, you’re not alone.

Following in the footsteps of other states, the Florida legislature made a small change that could have a big impact on the future of employer-sponsored health insurance.

Each day, over 1,200 people move to Florida – a rate far higher than any other state in the nation. As more and more individuals make the decision to call Florida home, we as a state must prepare for the growing number of seniors that will be in our care.

More than 92% of the U.S. population has health insurance, which can keep your medical bills more manageable. But there were still 26 million Americans (8% of the U.S. population) who didn’t have health insurance in 2022, according to the most recent data from the U.S. Census.

The Food and Drug Administration announced Friday it will allow Florida to import medications from Canada, following decades of attempts by states in the U.S. to purchase drugs in bulk at a cheaper price from the country.

Florida was at the center of ongoing debates and controversies dealing with health care in 2023, ranging from abortion restrictions to transgender health care to COVID-19. Health care promises to be a hot topic in 2024 as well, kicking off with a Regular Session in January where Senate President Kathleen Passidomo’s “Live Healthy” overhaul — and, along with it, hundreds of millions in spending — will be a key focus.