Vote Smart's Synopsis:

Vote to pass a bill that authorizes the the right to opt out of participation in or payment for certain health care services on the basis of conscience-based objections.

Highlights:

• Establishes that the state legislature of Florida supports the moral, ethical, and religious convictions of healthcare providers (Sec. 1).

• Establishes the right of a healthcare provider to abide by their seriously held religious, ethical, or moral obligations and opt out of the payment or performance of any healthcare service if a written notice of said seriously held belief is delivered to their supervisor (Sec. 2).

• Specifies that conscience-based medical objections are limited to a specific healthcare service and that refusal to provide for services do not extend to ones that do not violate a person's seriously held ethical, moral, or religious convictions or are based on a patient's race, color, religion, sex, or national origin (Sec. 2). 

• Establishes that a healthcare provider may not be discriminated against or suffer adverse adverse action against due to a decline to perform a particular medical procedure or service due to conscience based medical objections (Sec. 2).

• Specifies that healthcare companies cannot be subject to adverse actions related to speech and whistleblower concerts related to the violation of this act (Sec. 2). 

• Specifies that a medical practitioner's license may not be revoked or denied if they speak in public about a public policy issue or a healthcare service on social media if they are not writing with the intent to provide official medical advice to a specific patient or said speech does not violate a law or rule (Sec. 3). 

• Specifies that if a medical board revokes or denies the license of an individual based on the conscience-based medical objections if it is not based on the promotion of medical advice or treatment of specific patients will have its approval revoked by the appropriate agency (Sec. 3).

• Specifies that if any provision of this act is held as invalid then that does not mean that the other provisions are affected (Sec. 4).

• Specifies that this act will go into effect on July 1, 2023 (Sec. 5). 

Full Bill Text

Vote Smart's Synopsis:

Vote to pass a bill that authorizes the the right to opt out of participation in or payment for certain health care services on the basis of conscience-based objections.

Highlights:

• Establishes that the state legislature of Florida supports the moral, ethical, and religious convictions of healthcare providers (Sec. 1).

• Establishes the right of a healthcare provider to abide by their seriously held religious, ethical, or moral obligations and opt out of the payment or performance of any healthcare service if a written notice of said seriously held belief is delivered to their supervisor (Sec. 2).

• Specifies that conscience-based medical objections are limited to a specific healthcare service and that refusal to provide for services do not extend to ones that do not violate a person's seriously held ethical, moral, or religious convictions or are based on a patient's race, color, religion, sex, or national origin (Sec. 2). 

• Establishes that a healthcare provider may not be discriminated against or suffer adverse adverse action against due to a decline to perform a particular medical procedure or service due to conscience based medical objections (Sec. 2).

• Specifies that healthcare companies cannot be subject to adverse actions related to speech and whistleblower concerts related to the violation of this act (Sec. 2). 

• Specifies that a medical practitioner's license may not be revoked or denied if they speak in public about a public policy issue or a healthcare service on social media if they are not writing with the intent to provide official medical advice to a specific patient or said speech does not violate a law or rule (Sec. 3). 

• Specifies that if a medical board revokes or denies the license of an individual based on the conscience-based medical objections if it is not based on the promotion of medical advice or treatment of specific patients will have its approval revoked by the appropriate agency (Sec. 3).

• Specifies that if any provision of this act is held as invalid then that does not mean that the other provisions are affected (Sec. 4).

• Specifies that this act will go into effect on July 1, 2023 (Sec. 5). 

Full Bill Text