By Staff Report
Calling it the “Health Care Medical Freedom Act,” a House Republican on Monday filed a bill that would prevent health care providers from discriminating against patients based on vaccination status and would add disclosure requirements when children are vaccinated.
The bill, HB 917, was filed by Rep. Jeff Holcomb, R-Spring Hill, for the legislative session that begins Jan. 13. It comes as state health officials look to eliminate certain vaccine mandates for schoolchildren.
It also comes as U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a longtime vaccine skeptic, has fueled controversy over vaccinations, while many physicians and health groups have pushed back by emphasizing the importance of vaccines in preventing the spread of disease.
Holcomb’s bill would, in part, prevent health care facilities and providers from discriminating based on vaccination status — a scenario that could occur, for example, if a doctor refused to treat an unvaccinated patient.
The proposal also would revise what is known as the Florida Patient’s Bill of Rights and Responsibilities. The bill of rights already seeks to protect access to health care based on a variety of factors, and Holcomb’s proposal would add vaccination status to that list.
“A patient has the right to impartial access to medical treatment or accommodations, regardless of race, national origin, religion, handicap, vaccination status, or source of payment,” the proposal says.
Providers who violate the discrimination ban could face discipline under the bill.
The proposal also would require providers to inform parents of children about the “unique risks, benefits, safety and efficacy of each vaccine” included in a vaccination schedule. Providers would be required to use materials approved by the Florida Board of Medicine and the Florida Board of Osteopathic Medicine.
Holcomb’s bill also would create a “conscience” exemption to a state requirement that children have health exams within one year before enrolling in school. Parents already can seek exemptions from the requirement on religious grounds.
In addition, the bill would allow people to obtain the antiparasitic drug ivermectin without a prescription. Pharmacists would be allowed to sell the drug from behind the counter. Ivermectin drew heavy attention — and controversy — for its use during the COVID-19 pandemic.
As of Monday afternoon, a Senate version of Holcomb’s bill had not been filed.
The Republican-controlled Legislature and Gov. Ron DeSantis in recent years have targeted issues related to COVID-19 vaccination requirements.
Also this month, the Florida Department of Health held a workshop on a proposal that includes removing vaccination requirements for hepatitis B; varicella, commonly known as chickenpox; Haemophilus influenzae type b, or Hib, which can cause meningitis; and pneumococcal conjugate, which can cause pneumonia and meningitis. Those requirements are contained in state rules, which the Department of Health can change through an administrative process.
Other vaccination requirements mandated by state law for school entry — including polio, diphtheria, rubeola, rubella, mumps and tetanus — would remain in place unless the Legislature changes them.
Ali Moreland 