Florida · 2026 Regular Session · Bill
HB 1489: Medical Debt Protection and Comprehensive Health Care for Residents
Did not advance Official data
- Introduced
- In committee
- Passed one chamber
- Passed both chambers
- Enacted
- Did not advance
Last official action: ·Record last updated:
Plain-language summary
HB 1489 is a bill introduced in the Florida House on January 9, 2026. According to its official title, it concerns: Medical Debt Protection and Comprehensive Health Care for Residents. Primary sponsor: Dotie Joseph (Democratic). It lists 2 additional sponsors. Most recent recorded action (March 13, 2026): Died in Health Care Facilities & Systems Subcommittee.
Generated automatically from the official title, sponsor list, and status record only. It does not characterize the bill’s purpose or effects. How summaries are written
Official summary
Abstract published by the legislature (via Open States). Text as published by the legislature; reproduced verbatim.
Medical Debt Protection and Comprehensive Health Care for Residents; Requires large health care facilities to develop written financial assistance policies; provides financial assistance eligibility criteria; provides billing & collections rules & prohibitions; prohibits information relating to medical debt from being included in consumer reports, communicated with & reported to consumer reporting agencies, & used for certain decisions; prohibits medical creditors & medical debt collectors from engaging in certain acts during health insurance appeals; limits interest on medical debt under certain circumstances; creates Florida Health Plan; provides eligibility for & coverage of plan; authorizes Florida Health Board to establish financial arrangements with other states & foreign countries; authorizes plan enrollees to choose certain health care providers to have primary care providers & access to care coordination; authorizes enrollees to see health care specialists without referral; requires board to secure repeals & waivers of certain provisions of federal law; provides that plan's responsibility for providing health care is secondary to existing federal programs; requires plan to collect health care costs from collateral sources; prohibits patient care from being affected by fee schedules & financial incentives; prohibits noninstitutional & institutional providers that accept payments from plan from billing patients; provides requirements for capital expenditures by noninstitutional & institutional providers which exceed specified amount; requires Secretary of Health Care Administration to designate health planning regions; provides considerations for such designations; provides requirements for regional planning boards; prohibits certain health insurance policies & contracts from being sold in this state on & after specified date.
Sponsors
Sponsors by party (alphabetical): Democratic 3
| Name | Role | Party | Chamber | District |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dotie Joseph | Primary sponsor | Democratic | House | 108 |
| Anna Eskamani | Co-sponsor | Democratic | House | 42 |
| Felicia Robinson | Co-sponsor | Democratic | House | 104 |
“Support” is shown only as formal sponsorship recorded by the legislature. Roll-call votes are available on the official bill page.
Recent official actions
- Died in Health Care Facilities & Systems Subcommittee
- Now in Health Care Facilities & Systems Subcommittee
- Referred to Health & Human Services Committee
- Referred to Health Care Budget Subcommittee
- Referred to Health Care Facilities & Systems Subcommittee
- 1st Reading (Original Filed Version)
- Filed