Health care innovation bill part of Live Healthy package passes committee

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – A bill creating a health care innovation council within the Department of Health favorably passed the Senate’s Fiscal Policy committee on Thursday.

The Health Policy committee sponsored the bill, SB 7018. It is part of the Live Healthy legislative package that Senate President Kathleen Passidomo, R-Naples, and others have championed through the 2024 session.

“The goal of the bill is really to create a forum for innovators and developers and health care policymakers and stakeholders to harness the creativity and innovation and to improve health care in Florida,” Sen. Gayle Harrell, R-Stuart explained while the bill was still in committee.

“And as you know the private sector can be perhaps a little bit more agile than government can be,” she added. “And also sometimes has wonderful ideas that can really help innovate.”

Harrell said the council would travel the state, getting perspectives and input from various communities on the best trajectory to accomplish health care related goals.

The senator explained the bill creates a loan fund of $75 million over the next 10 years so innovators can get help to borrow up to 50% of their production costs or 80% if it is directly going to benefit a low income population.

“So you’re going to be able to actualize your innovative ideas with these low interest loan,” Harrell said. “And when I say low interest, I mean low interest. less than 1%. Try and do that on the open market today.”

Harrell joined Passidomo and Sen. Colleen Burton, R-Lakeland, in announcing multiple bills in the Live Healthy agenda during a press briefing in December.

Other legislation in the package includes nearly $800 million for health care workforce education and training.