A measure working its way through the Florida Legislature would make it more difficult to sue corporate executives, directors and other “decision-makers” when something goes wrong at their nursing homes, the Palm Beach Postreports.
Patient advocates worry about the effects in Florida, where 1 in 5 nursing homes are on the state’s watch list. The new legislation comes as two executives who controlled facilities in three counties face felony charges and $2.75 million in fines for Medicaid fraud.
In other news, the Orlando Sentinel reports that Gov. Rick Scott has proposed $36 million to extend services to about 750 people in Florida with severe disabilities who are on a waiting list. The Agency for Persons with Disabilities says the iBudget program has helped make costs more manageable, but at least 40 percent of the 30,000 people in the program could see cuts to their funding. As the Daytona Beach News-Journal reports, some parents say the cuts are too deep.