The move to boost medical manpower through telemedicine in Florida is getting a lot more attention, with a hearing set for December for the state medical boards and now a bill filed to require insurers to pay for it.
HB 167 by state Rep. Mia Jones, D-Jacksonville, would prohibit insurers from requiring face-to-face visits between doctors and patients in order to have it covered, the Florida Currentreports. It has some Republican support.
A similar bill, SB 70, has been introduced in the Senate by state Sen. Arthenia Joyner, D-Tampa.
Twenty-one states have telemedicine statutes, and the Florida Medical Association has indicated it will push for passage in this state.
