Florida gubernatorial hopeful Rep. Byron Donalds (R-FL) recently rolled out his “Your Doctor, Your Price” health plan, which would have healthcare providers clearly state the cash price of more than a dozen common procedures readily available for patients, increasing transparency.
Speaking at The Villages last week, Trump-backed Donalds unveiled his latest initiative to help move the Sunshine State into the future.
“One thing I’ve learned: The doctors are frustrated. The patients are frustrated. And so when you’re seeing the workers in that system and the users of that system both, quite frankly, pulling their hair out, shaking their head, looking at bills trying to figure out how this is all going to come together, what it means is we have a responsibility to bring real reforms that will make this system – and this process – better,” he said, announcing the “key” reforms he is proposing.
The first reform is requiring every hospital and provider to post the real cash price for the top 20 common services that they provide.
“The real cash price up front, before you walk in the door,” Donalds said, describing this as “critical.”
He added, “In Florida we want to make sure that our health care system is the most transparent in all of America, so that you know the price going in ahead of time.”
Donalds pointed out that these are services that people call about every single day, explaining:
You make an appointment, you should know that price. You should be able to go to their website … and know the exact price. And what I mean by that is look at every hospital, just like every business can look back the last six months to see how much it costs you to do an X-ray, to see how much it costs you just to do a routine checkup, to see how much it costs you – if you know, you’re not feeling too well, you got a scratchy throat, maybe you need to do a swab and see what it actually is. They should be able to go back and see the last six months of what that costs and tell you the price ahead of time. We believe, I believe, that transparency is the great way you actually lower costs and stabilize costs and provide quality health care that you need at that point in time when you need it.
Donalds also said he wants to provide transparency on prescription drugs and will do so by aligning Florida’s prescription drug pricing programs with the federal pricing program.
“Our seniors deserve to know what the true cost is and not have middlemen muck that up,” he said.
Further, Donalds said it is paramount that Floridians have the freedom to choose the licensed healthcare provider that they want to see.
“No pre-authorizations. No surprise billing. Openness in a healthcare system so you could find the physician or the provider that suits your needs and suits your interests,” he said, describing these as “basic, common central forms in Florida.”
Ultimately, Donalds said these initiatives underscore his priority of preserving the “Florida we love” and protecting the “Florida dream” so it remains “alive and well, well into the future.”
“The Florida dream, on my watch, is not going to become a Florida nightmare,” he added.
WATCH:
Donalds’ stop is part of the greater “Defending the Florida Dream” tour and coincides with the Republican gubernatorial hopeful dominating in the GOP primary polls. An Emerson College survey released last week found Donalds leading the GOP primary field with 46 percent support from likely GOP primary voters. Lieutenant Governor Jay Collins and GOP investor James Fishback followed, tying for a very distant second with four percent support each. That survey also set Donalds up in a hypothetical matchup against former Rep. David Jolly, a Democrat, and found Donalds leading with a five-point advantage.
Earlier this month, the campaign for Byron Donalds and the Friends of Byron Donalds PAC announced a $22.2 million fundraising haul for the first quarter of the year.
President Donald Trump endorsed Donalds over a year ago, describing him as a “TOTAL WINNER” and stating that the Republican would “have a BIG Voice, and would work closely with me to advance our America First Agenda.”
“He will fight tirelessly to Secure our Border, Stop Migrant Crime, Strengthen our Military, Protect our Vets, Restore our Economic Power, Advance American Energy DOMINANCE, and Defend our always under siege Second Amendment,” Trump said.
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