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Florida Board of Medicine Public Meeting

July 19-20, 2008, 9:00 a.m., Jacksonville
Hyatt Regency Jacksonville
225 East Coastline Drive
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Board of Hearing Aid Specialists Public Meeting

July 26, 9 a.m., Miami
Miami Beach Resort and Spa
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2008 FACHC & AHEC Meeting and Educational Summit

July 28-30, Bonita Springs, FL 
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Cover Florida: The Unregulated Health Insurance Market

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Sexual Violence Prevention Program Public Meeting

July 31- August 1, Orlando  
Florida Hotel & Conference Center, 1500 Sand Lake Road
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Empowering Healthcare: A Look at Key Components

August 13, Ft. Lauderdale
Signature Grand
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Top Story

House health chair protecting anti-abortion hotline from cuts

By Christine Jordan Sexton
4/2/2008 © Florida Health News

TALLAHASSEE -- While lawmakers are targeting dozens of health care programs for deep cuts or elimination, one controversial program may be spared.

Despite the Department of Health putting it on the chopping block, House Republicans have so far refused to cut any of the $2 million the state now provides for “crisis pregnancy” centers and a statewide hotline that pregnant women can call for advice. The program was begun at the urging of Gov. Jeb Bush, who is staunchly opposed to abortion.

“We are extremely concerned that our government is potentially choosing ideology over good public policy,” said Adrienne Kimmell, executive director of the Florida Association of Planned Parenthood Affiliates.

According to their homepage, www.Floridapregnancysupport.com, the pregnancy crisis centers provide information services “solely to promote and encourage childbirth to pregnant women.”  

The centers provide support services during the pregnancy “and for up to one year after childbirth” if desired. DOH spokeswoman Susan Smith said that 16,884 women sought counseling at the centers between January 2007 and January 2008.  

Rep. Skidmore
Two lawmakers who sit on the House Healthcare Council and were asked to review spending by the department suggested to top Republicans that the program be eliminated. Rep. Kelly Skidmore, a Palm Beach Democrat, said she and Rep. Alan Hays, a retired dentist and Umatilla Republican, proposed cutting the centers because the Florida Department of Health (DOH) told them the program could survive without the state funds.
 
“I felt fairly good about our recommendations that we made,” said Skidmore. 

But Rep. Aaron Bean, a Fernandina Beach Republican and chairman of the House Healthcare Council, decided to retain the center funding while cutting other health programs nearly $600 million. A House panel is expected to approve a $65.1 billion state budget that includes those cuts on Thursday. The programs being cut include hospice. 

“If these cuts go through, people will die and they will die with more pain and less dignity,” Skidmore said. 

None of the cuts she and Hays recommended included “life or death money,” she said.
While Hays is “pro-life,” he said, the abortion debate had nothing to do with the recommendation. 

“It was a financial issue,’’ he said. “There will be a lot of those that are made this session.’’
Bean said the decision on what to include in the committee’s spending proposal is his, and he stands by the funds for the crisis counseling and pregnancy support program.
 
The Senate proposed budget, meanwhile, does call for cutting the program by $1.8 million. That means the issue will likely have to be agreed to in conference, where a handful of legislators try to negotiate the differences in the two proposed spending plans.  
 
Christine Jordan Sexton, Tallahassee correspondent for Florida Health News, can be reached at cjordansexton@hotmail.com.