Senate President Declines to Take Up KidCare During Special Session

Catherine Dolinski
Tampa Tribune
Jun 12, 2007

TALLAHASSEE - Senate President Ken Pruitt said Monday that he has no interest in addressing no-fault auto or children's health insurance issues during this week's special legislative session.

Advocates have lobbied legislative leaders and Gov. Charlie Crist to take action this week to prevent the state's personal injury protection, or "PIP," auto insurance law from expiring in October, and to reform the state's troubled KidCare health insurance program. Negotiations over fixes for both programs broke down in the final days of the spring legislative session.

Hospitals, auto clubs and others argue that Florida's admittedly flawed no-fault auto insurance program should not be allowed simply to sunset on Oct. 1 because it will leave millions of drivers without medical coverage. Child advocates, meanwhile, say the state risks losing millions of federal matching dollars if it does not enable more low-income children to enroll and remain in KidCare.

However, Pruitt said the purpose of the special session is to lower property taxes. "I have not given any thought" to expanding it, he said.

That leaves the prospect largely up to Crist, who has expressed interest in, but not committed to, tackling both issues. Florida hospitals are clinging to hints by Crist about addressing PIP in yet another special session if it does not come up this week, said Rich Rasmussen, a Florida Hospital Association spokesman.

Pruitt said he has not yet considered the prospect of another session.

Meanwhile, child advocates and some lawmakers said that they have more or less reached the broad consensus that Crist said was necessary to add a trimmed-down KidCare bill to the agenda.

But Monday, Bob Wychulis, executive director of the Florida Association of Health Plans, said his organization of managed-care companies had not reached a position on the compromise that advocates are pushing.

Consensus remains key, a Crist spokesman said. "If the Florida Legislature reaches an agreement on the KidCare program, Governor Crist would consider the issue as a possible addition to the special session agenda."