Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

Scott PowersOctober 10, 2018

U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar has declared a public health emergency in Florida in advance of Hurricane Michael’s arrival, mobilizing federal medical assistance and opening the door for federally supported health care providers and suppliers to have greater flexibility in meeting emergency health needs. The declaration, which came late Tuesday follows the […]

Scott PowersOctober 13, 2017

Florida’s Republican U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio on Friday sent a letter similar to one sent by his Democratic colleague urging more federal help for Puerto Rico, still darkened by the ravishes of Hurricane Maria more than three weeks ago. Rubio asked U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Acting Secretary Eric Hargan to “provide a […]

Scott PowersOctober 13, 2017

Bill Nelson is imploring the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to step up their efforts in Puerto Rico, “before more people die and this becomes a full-blown crisis.” In a letter to acting HHS Secretary Eric Hargan, Florida’s senior U.S. Senator responds to news reports in The New York Times and warns that the continued […]

Jenna Buzzacco-FoersterAugust 29, 2016

Members of the Florida House are joining together to ask the federal government to allow the state to use genetically modified mosquitoes to combat the spread of Zika. House Speaker Designate Richard Corcoran on Monday told members he planned to ask the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to declare a public health emergency […]

Associated PressJanuary 28, 2015

Federal health officials say most Floridians who have signed up for health insurance under the Affordable Care Act chose a plan that comes with financial assistance. Officials with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services said Tuesday that 93 percent of Floridians selected a plan with financial assistance. As of mid-January, some 1.2 million […]

Guest AuthorAugust 12, 2014

George Sheldon is campaigning for the Democratic nomination for Florida Attorney General. If he wins, he will face Pam Bondi, the current attorney general, in November. Here are his answers to questions I posed to him: What does the Florida Attorney General do? The attorney general is the chief legal officer for the state, responsible […]

Guest AuthorJanuary 6, 2014

I’ve been instructed by my editor that referring to Florida as the “Sunshine State” is a cliché — a goofy term that is out of place in columns about momentous political happenings. Likely so. But here’s a case where the term is fitting: Florida, the state named for its sunshine, has more tanning beds than […]

Tag: u s department of health and human services
Reps. Steve Womack and Jason Crow. Image via AP.

Hurricane Michael: Federal agencies mobilizing health care help for Florida

Marco Rubio joins Bill Nelson’s call for urgent attention for public health crisis in Puerto Rico

Bill Nelson urges feds to do more for Puerto Rico ‘before more people die’

Richard Corcoran, Janet Cruz join forces to call on federal government to allow state to use self-limiting mosquitoes to combat Zika

Floridians pick ACA health plans with financial assistance

Stephen Goldstein: A Q&A with George Sheldon, Democratic candidate for AG

Karen Cyphers: Dangerous tanning beds popular in Sunshine State