Plus, the potential return of naturopathic medicine
Younger generations are experiencing serious health problems earlier, Florida might allow naturopathic medicine back onto the scene after 67 years, and a bill restoring funds to an AIDS drug program will hit the Governor’s desk after legislative approval. It’s all in this week’s Healthcare Digest.
Younger and Sicker: UnitedHealthcare and the Health Action Council teamed up to examine the rising cost of employer-sponsored health care and made some startling discoveries in a recently published white paper: younger generations are having health crises earlier in life, and the problems are becoming more and more expensive to treat. Data showed that Gen Z claims are rising at a much faster pace, with a year-over-year growth rate nearly double that of Baby Boomers. Young adults are developing lifelong conditions like diabetes and obesity earlier, visiting emergency rooms more frequently, and engaging less with preemptive care. It’s no wonder the price of health insurance is ticking up to match these trends, outpacing general inflation and wage growth. Major health events are now twice as common for young people as they were only five years ago. A driving factor, mostly affecting men, is the avoidance (or refusal) to see a primary care provider and detect these illnesses before they grow into something uncontrollable. Seeing primary care providers regularly led to 27% lower claims for major health scares and even cut health costs for chronic diseases by 20%. The best healthcare seems to be preventative, stopping metabolic risks before they become a costly mistake for the individual and the employer.
Naturopathic Medicine: Some people prefer a different approach to health care, preferring natural remedies and lifestyle changes to traditional medicine. Enter Naturopathy, a field of medicine which has quietly bubbled under the surface for nearly 70 years after it was banned statewide in 1959, and may be making a comeback. The Florida Legislature last week passed a bill reinstating the practice that will now go to the Governor for his potential signature into law. Florida would join 23 other states that have legalized the practice. Sponsored by Senator Ana Maria Rodriguez (R-Doral), the bill modernizes naturopathic medicine regulation by establishing licensure requirements, creating the Board of Naturopathic Medicine, and revising practice standards and prohibitions. It defines a naturopathic doctor as a telehealth provider and allows the Board to oversee licensure, rulemaking, and disciplinary actions.
Critics call it a potentially dangerous pseudoscience, while devotees swear by its lifechanging effects; the difference is that now there are some guardrails that would be put in place and the practice will be above board. Naturopathic doctors would be required to get a bachelor’s degree in their field of expertise, and while no medical residency period would be required, they still would be unable to prescribe FDA regulated drugs, perform surgery, or administer anesthetics and radioactive substances. Critics speak loudly of patients who forgo standard treatment of serious diseases in place of acupuncture and herbal remedies, and of doctors who were unable to help patients because they went naturopathic first. But the naturopathic medicine field is seeing a resurgence because of a growing mistrust in conventional medicine. Proponents are often quick to offer naturopathic solutions as a last resort, or something to supplement – not replace − conventional medical treatments.
AIDS Assistance: The Florida Legislature last week also approved HB 697 to restore funding to the AIDS Drug Assistance Program (ADAP) through June 30, the end of the fiscal year. This plan could prevent thousands of HIV-positive Floridians from losing their coverage if Governor DeSantis signs the bill into law, with $31 million to restore eligibility to 11,000 individuals who have been without their subsidized medication since March 1, while the legislature works through the current budget impasse. “This is actually something that will absolutely, 100 percent save lives, because if they couldn’t get this medication, they wouldn’t make it,” said Rep. Robin Bartleman (D-Weston). Champions for ADAP have been less than enthused with the state Department of Health’s changes to the program, including reducing income eligibility from 400% of the poverty level to 130%. While the appropriation doesn’t cover Biktarvy, the most popular once-a-day pill, it does cover generic versions for the other HIV-related medicines, giving those affected some breathing room and a temporary band-aid solution until the end of June. Those on Medicare or employer health care plans will have help from the DOH on their copays while legislators work on the next long-term solution.
(Editor’s Note: With the end of the policy part of this legislative session comes the end of our weekly newsletters. We’ll return on our regular bi-monthly schedule on March 30. See you then!)
LMA Newsletter of 3-16-26
