Senate committee backs bill to require coverage for activity orthotics and prosthetics

CS for Senate Bill 1110 was reported favorably by the Florida Senate Appropriations Committee on Health and Human Services after family testimony that illustrated the practical and financial barriers to activity-specific prosthetic limbs.

Senator Truenow, the bill sponsor, told the committee the proposal would authorize Medicaid to cover specified orthotics and prosthetics services, require individual and group health insurance policies and HMO contracts to cover medically necessary orthotics and prosthetics without lifetime or continuous-use caps, and direct the Agency for Health Care Administration to seek federal approval and update managed-care service contracts.

Supporters described how activity-specific devices enable children and adults to participate in sports and daily life. Ansel (appearance form name appears as Encel/Ansel Meadows Raider) briefly demonstrated a gymnastics press handstand to show differences between standard walking devices and activity limbs; his mother told senators their family has spent about $100,000 out of pocket over 10 years for prosthetic care and that specialized activity prosthetics (estimated by their prosthetist at $45,000 for the current pair) are typically paid entirely by families. Toby King, a student athlete, said running blades transformed his school participation and urged the committee to treat activity limbs as medical needs rather than recreational add-ons.

Committee members asked no substantive questions of the sponsor and moved rapidly to a roll call. The clerk reported that CS for SB 1110 was reported favorably.

The committee did not provide an immediate fiscal-year implementation date in the hearing; the sponsor said AHCA would seek federal approval for managed-care contract changes where required. Next steps: the bill was reported favorably out of committee and will proceed to further floor or committee action per the legislative calendar.