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House Speaker Will Weatherford said Florida’s rejection of Medicaid expansion is good for the country because it prevents the federal deficit from growing. But PolitiFact rated this claim Half True because he ignored some key information.  

More Florida workplaces than ever are giving gay and straight domestic partners access to health benefits, the Miami Herald reports. Because domestic partnerships aren’t recognized by federal law, some Florida companies are now also reimbursing employees for the federal income tax they have to pay on the value of the premiums. 

Dr. John Armstrong will continue to lead the Department of Health, thanks to a reappointment by Gov. Rick Scott. As the Associated Press reports, Florida Senators, particularly state Sen. Jack Latvala, R-Clearwater, wanted Armstrong out. 

Records from a hearing in Hillsborough Circuit Court reveal more about what happened after John Andrew Welden found out his ex-girlfriend was pregnant, the Tampa Tribune reports. Welden, whose father is a fertility doctor, is now charged with first-degree murder. Federal authorities say he tricked Remee Jo Lee into taking a drug that terminated her pregnancy. 

Gov. Rick Scott has approved an increase in funding for the Agency for Persons with Disabilities to help about 750 people who are on the the waiting list for the Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) Medicaid waiver.

There are about 22,000 people on the waiting list.

At the last minute, lawmakers in the Florida Legislature agreed to provide $65 million in extra funding to help hospitals as they transition to a new formula for Medicaid payments, the Miami Herald reports. But now safety-net hospitals say they’re worried Gov. Rick Scott could veto that part of the budget. 

Federal prosecutors have charged a fertility doctor’s son with first degree-murder for tricking his ex-girlfriend into taking a drug that terminated the pregnancy of her six-week-old fetus, the Tampa Bay Times reports. Authorities say John Andrew Welden, 28, forged his father’s signature on his prescription pad, and then told the woman she was taking an antibiotic. 

Wealthy Manhattan moms have reportedly been paying high prices to hire handicapped “tour guides” to skip the long lines at Disney World, the New York Post reports. But as a reporter with the Miami New Times knows, it can be really easy to scam the system -- even without the cash.

The trustee that’s handling the Universal Health Care bankruptcy case says Dr. Akshay Desai illegally diverted $100,000 in company money to Wake Forest University as the insurer was crumbling, the Tampa Bay Times reports. 

Actress Angelina Jolie revealed this week that because she inherited a gene mutation that severely increases the risk of getting breast cancer, she decided to have a preventative double mastectomy, removing both of her breasts and then getting reconstructive surgery.  

Dr. Sue Friedman is the founder and executive director of an organization called FORCE, which stands for Facing Our Risk of Cancer Empowered. 

Health News Florida, WUSF’s health reporting initiative, provides daily coverage of health issues that affect the everyday lives of Floridians. We provide this vital information on radio, through video and website content. You can help us remain positioned as a statewide leader in health reporting by supporting the WUSF 89.7 Special One Day Campaign. Give now here. 

Florida representatives from Pinellas County were put on the spot Tuesday by Suncoast Tiger Bay members, who asked Republicans to defend their low health insurance premiums amid their decision to vote down plans that would have helped low-income Floridians get affordable health care, the Tampa Bay Times reports.

A two-year legal battle over trauma centers made its way to a state appeals court Tuesday.  Four hospitals in Florida -- three in Tampa Bay and one in Jacksonville -- are trying to block the HCA hospital chain from opening more trauma centers in their regions, according to the Miami Herald.

The Medicare Fraud Strike Force arrested 34 people in Florida as part of a nationwide sweep.  

During the 2013 legislative session, Florida lawmakers were unable to agree on a plan to expand health care coverage for more low-income Floridians.  WUSF’s Carson Cooper talked to three state representatives about that issue for this week’s episode of Florida Matters, which aired Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. on WUSF 89.7 FM. 

If you missed it, you can listen to the whole conversation here.

Florida officials say they'll soon be relying on state-of-the-art technology to ensure that food stamps are issued to people who really need them. 

Crooks who try to steal from the state's welfare system will be in for a nasty surprise.

The Department of Children and Families says Florida will become the first state in the country to use new technology to crack down on food stamp and other welfare fraud.

Florida lawmakers were unable to agree on a plan to expand health care coverage for more low-income Floridians.  We talked to three state representatives about that issue for this week’s episode of Florida Matters, which aired Tuesday night at 6:30 p.m. on WUSF 89.7. 

The Florida Legislature’s decision against expanding Medicaid will saddle the state’s employers with higher health care costs and was “bad for business,” health care experts told business leaders on Tuesday. 

Florida corporations have been “too quiet” about Medicaid expansion and other health care issues, and should make elected officials aware of their displeasure before the damage gets worse, said William Kramer, a national health policy leader in San Francisco who works with corporations.

Representatives in the Florida House voted to keep low health insurance premiums for themselves next year, the Tampa Bay Times reports. Critics say it’s hypocritical for members of the House to pay just $8.34 a month for individual coverage, or $30 for a family policy, since the plan they wanted to offer to some of the state’s poorest uninsured would have cost $25 a month.

Because the federal government anticipated more Americans would have health insurance under the Affordable Care Act, they planned to cut compensation for hospitals that treat a large number of uninsured patients, the Miami Herald reports. In Florida, many may still lack access to coverage because the state rejected Medicaid expansion.

The state’s second human-milk depot is now open at Florida Hospital in Orlando, the Orlando Sentinel reports. There are 11 such depots across the country where nursing mothers can also donate breast milk. Florida’s only other location is in Miami. 

Deaths from prescription pill abuse have declined sharply in counties around Tampa Bay, and law enforcement officials point to fewer “pill mills” in operation as the reason, the Tampa Bay Times reports. Experts also credit the state’s prescription monitoring database for the decrease. 

According to an investigation by ProPublica and The Washington Post, Medicare is failing to properly monitor the drugs prescribed under Part D coverage. Analysis of the data shows doctors are overprescribing, and in some cases, giving seniors drugs that are potentially harmful or addictive. 

The Florida Legislature dealt with a number of health care bills this session.  See the Florida Current for a roundup of the issues, including Medicaid expansion under the Affordable Care Act, optometrist vs. ophthalmologist prescribing powers and a new Medicaid billing formula for hospitals.  

Karen Heaton didn’t expect her son to live past his first birthday -- yet Donnie is now one of the oldest males living with Trisomy 18. As the Tampa Bay Times reports, Donnie can’t walk, talk or feed himself. But his mom, who gave birth at age 42 and rarely spends any time away from him, worries what could happen to her son if he outlives her. 

Miami Herald reporter Carol Marbin Miller explains the sad and complex situation faced by disabled children in institutions through the story of Anubis Day, who was left blind and on a ventilator after his father's alleged violent abuse.

While the fight against prescription drug abuse is nothing new to Florida, there's now a statewide initiative aimed at preventing babies from being born addicted to pain pills. 

Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi , the Department of Children and Families, the Department of Health and members from the Statewide Task Force on Prescription Drug Abuse and Newborns introduced the Born Drug Free Florida campaign today. Their motto: A Babies Life shouldn't begin with Detox.

A 20-year-old man who tried to get away from authorities ended up in the jaws of an alligator, the Tampa Bay Times reports. Bryan Zuniga eluded the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office for a few hours, but was arrested after he was treated at the hospital for alligator bites on his face and arm. 

Eight years after it began with a Food and Drug Administration raid on a Deerfield Beach company, the  PowerMedica case is over.

The former CEO of the company, Daniel L. Dailey, is facing a shorter prison sentence for helping the feds convict his own father, a doctor and a dentist, the South Florida Sun-Sentinel reported (Editor's note: Article may be blocked by paywall). 

Even though Florida officials tried to block the implementation of the Affordable Care Act at every turn over the past three years, the state will gain millions in grants and hundreds of new jobs this year from its implementation.