Kathleen Passidomo health care bills clear last hurdle on way to Senate floor

A pair of health care bills prioritized by Senate President Kathleen Passidomo, a Naples Republican — designed to expand the state’s health care workforce and access to mental health services — cleared their last committee vote and are now headed to the Senate floor.

The Senate Fiscal Policy Committee approved SB 7016 and SB 7018 unanimously, after Republicans waved off an attempt by Democrats to tack on an amendment to expand Medicaid to one of the bills.

Sen. Geraldine Thompson, a Windermere Democrat, offered the amendment to SB 7016 to highlight what she sees as a missed opportunity for the state to draw down $14.3 billion in federal money to provide for low-income families who are uninsured or underinsured.

“There are over 800,000 Floridians who would gain access to health insurance through the expansion of Medicaid,” Thompson said. “We need to be concerned about the working poor.”