Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

Michael MolineJanuary 11, 2017

The House Insurance & Banking Subcommittee held a calm, measured, largely drama-free discussion of assignment of benefits reform Wednesday. Nothing was resolved, but the panel appeared to inch toward a compromise. It may include extending regulation to the home repair contractors but perhaps not changing Florida’s attorney fee statute to discourage abusive lawsuits against insurers. […]

Michael MolineJanuary 4, 2017

A state workers’ compensation advisory panel voted Wednesday to ask the Legislature to consider letting regulators establish a drug formulary in hopes of keeping medical costs under control. The panel also recommended changes to the way Florida’s workers’ compensation system reimburses facilities that treat injured workers, and to tighten the guidelines for authorizing medical care. […]

Jim RosicaDecember 30, 2016

From algebra to Zika, 2016 brought a plethora of material to the Capitol Press Corps. Trying to pick the top state government stories is a subjective pursuit, to say the least, but here are the FloridaPolitics.com picks for the passing year. In (kind of) chronological order: — Kevin McCarty ousted as state Insurance Commissioner, replaced by […]

Michael MolineDecember 9, 2016

The public will suffer irreparable harm unless a state appeal court stays Florida’s 14.5 percent increase in workers’ compensation insurance premiums, attorneys challenging the increase said in court papers this week. The National Council on Compensation Insurance, or NCCI, “cannot possibly demonstrate a likelihood of prevailing on appeal with respect to the trial court’s detailed, well-reasoned […]

Michael MolineNovember 29, 2016

The Florida Office of Insurance Regulation has appealed a trial court ruling blocking a 14.5 percent increase in workers’ compensation insurance premiums, putting that ruling on hold pending review by a state appeals court. The office filed its notice of appeal Monday with the 1st District Court of Appeal. Leon County Circuit Judge Karen Gievers ruled on […]

Michael MolineOctober 26, 2016

The Florida Office of Insurance Regulation has no plans to draft its own legislative fix for rising workers’ compensation rates, but that doesn’t mean regulators are ignoring the problem, Insurance Commissioner David Altmaier said Wednesday. “We expect to be actively involved in that conversation,” Altmaier told reporters as his office’s biannual industry conference wound down. […]

Michael MolineOctober 25, 2016

Florida Insurance Commissioner David Altmaier outlined his legislative priorities Tuesday during an industry conference, promising above all to work with industry stakeholders in drafting responses to market pressures. “One of my highest priorities — higher than any of the legislative initiatives I just mentioned — is to make sure as we move forward with those […]

Michael MolineOctober 19, 2016

The Florida Health Insurance Advisory Board is considering whether to ask the Legislature to address the “family glitch” — a regulatory quirk that can leave dependents of small business employees unable to afford health insurance. The problem, said board member Louisa McQueeney, is that small group plans sometimes don’t cover employees’ family members. Depending on how […]

Staff ReportsSeptember 21, 2016

Florida’s business owners will soon find out the fate of a proposed increase of nearly 20 percent in workers compensation insurance rates. “We’re getting very close to being finished with those review and putting these rate filings out into the public, so our business owners and community can respond to that and plan effectively,” state […]

Jim RosicaSeptember 20, 2016

Florida Insurance Commissioner David Altmaier won’t commit to an answer on Obamacare being a long-term solution to the Sunshine State’s health insurance needs. When asked Tuesday whether the insurance regime set up by the Affordable Care Act (ACA) could be salvaged, Altmaier said “that will take a little bit more conversation; I don’t know that I’m ready […]