Florida Complementary and Alternative Healthcare Coverage Initiative (2018)

Florida Complementary and Alternative Healthcare Coverage Initiative
Election date November 6, 2018
Topic Healthcare
Status Not on the ballot
Type Constitutional amendment	Origin Citizens
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The Complementary and Alternative Healthcare Coverage Initiative (#15-03) was not on the ballot in Florida as an initiated constitutional amendment on November 6, 2018. The measure also did not make the ballot in Florida as an initiated constitutional amendment on November 8, 2016.

The measure was designed to require health insurance, whether accidental, supplemental, group, self-insured, or individual, to provide coverage for complementary and alternative healthcare treatments.

The amendment was written to define a "Complementary Health Care Treatment" as "any treatment that is designed to provide patients with an effective option to the prevailing or conventional treatment methods associated with the services provided by a healthcare practitioner."

Text of measure

Ballot title

The proposed title was as follows:

“

Comprehensive Health Care Benefits for Insured Florida Citizens

”

Ballot summary

The proposed ballot summary was as follows:

“

Provides Insured Legal Residents of Florida equal access to State Constitutional Rights described in the Florida Patient’s Bill of Rights and Responsibilities, by requiring Health Insurance Policies sold in Florida to include coverage for Complementary and Alternative Health Care Treatments. All Health Insurance policies sold in Florida will provide coverage that includes Chiropractic, Acupuncture, and Massage Therapy

”

Constitutional changes

See also: Article X, Florida Constitution

The measure would add a Section 29 to Article X of the Florida Constitution

Section 29 of Article X of the Florida Constitution

(a) PUBLIC POLICY (1) Any accidental, supplemental, group, self-insured, or individual health insurance policy issued, amended, delivered, or renewed in Florida must provide coverage for Complementary and Alternative Health Care Treatments. (2) No health plan provider networks may exclude any health care practitioner licensed by the Florida Department of Health. (3) A health insurance policy subscriber may select between available providers where treatment is appropriate to either, and where both are health care practitioners licensed by the Florida Board of Health. (4) Availability of coverage cannot be used to discriminate against licensed healthcare practitioners. (b) DEFINITIONS. For the purposes of this section, the following words and terms will have the following meanings: (1) “Accident” means a type of health care policy that provides benefits to individuals and employees for sickness, accidental injury, or accidental death. These benefits include payment of hospital and medical expenses as well as income payments. (2) “Complementary Health Care Treatment” means any treatment that is designed to provide patients with an effective option to the prevailing or conventional treatment methods associated with the services provided by a health care practitioner. Such a treatment may be provided in addition to or in place of other treatment options, and is described in s. 456.41 Florida Statutes (2014) (3) “Coverage” means a legal entitlement to payment or reimbursement for health care costs, under a contract with a health insurance company, a group health plan offered in connection with employment, or a government program. (4) “Equal access” means: (a) access to health care as defined in F.S. 381.026(d)(1): A patient has the right to impartial access to medical treatment or accommodations, regardless of race, national origin, religion, handicap, or source of payment; (b) access to health care as defined in F.S. 381.026(d)(3): A patient has the right to access any mode of treatment that is, in his or her own judgment and the judgment of his or her health care practitioner, in the best interests of the patient, including complementary or alternative health care treatments, in accordance with the provisions of s. 456.41.. (5) “Florida Patient’s Bill of Rights and Responsibilities” means 381.026 Florida Statutes (2014) (6) “Health care practitioners” means s. 456.001(4): any person licensed under chapter 457; chapter 458; chapter 459; chapter 460; chapter 461; chapter 462; chapter 463; chapter 464; chapter 465; chapter 466; chapter 467; part I, part II, part III, part V, part X, part XIII, or part XIV of chapter 468; chapter 478; chapter 480; part III or part IV of chapter 483; chapter 484; chapter 486; chapter 490; or chapter 491. (7) “Health insurance policy” or “plan” means any medical expense incurred policy or health maintenance organization subscriber contract pursuant to chapter 627 part VI, VII, VIII, XI and chapter 641, and includes plans of self-insurance providing health insurance benefits. (8) “Health plan provider” means any company, organization or other entity that offers insurance policies to the public, employees, or associations. (9) “Provider” means a Health Care Practitioner described in s. 456.41 Florida Statutes (2014) (10) “Provider Networks” means healthcare provider who has a contractual relationship with a health insurance company, which establishes standards of care, clinical protocols, and allowable charges for specific services. (11) “Supplemental” means any type of insurance policy designed to cover additional expenses not covered by an insured’s primary health insurance policy or plan. (12) “Subscribers” means (a) Owner of an health insurance policy; and (b) All dependents and survivors insured under a health insurance policy. (c) EFFECT. – This section does not modify or change the scope of practice of any licensees of the Florida Department of Health, nor does it alter in any way the provisions of the individual practice acts for those licensees, which require licensees to practice within their respective standards of care and which prohibit fraud and exploitation of patients. (d) LEGISLATION. Nothing in this section shall limit the legislature from enacting laws consistent with this provision. (e) SEVERABILITY. The provisions of this section are severable and if any clause, sentence, paragraph or section of this measure, or an application thereof, is adjudged invalid by any court of competent jurisdiction other provisions shall continue to be in effect to the fullest extent possible.

Support

The campaign in support of the initiative was led by Acupuncture for Florida in 2016. They also sponsored the measure for 2018.

Path to the ballot

See also: Laws governing the initiative process in Florida

In Florida, signature requirements for qualifying an initiative for the ballot are based on the total number of votes cast during the most recent presidential election. Sponsors must collect a number equal to 8 percent of this total and in accordance with certain distribution requirements. Signatures can remain valid up to two years after the date they were signed, but they must be verified by February 1 of the targeted year, and therefore must be submitted prior to that date.

2016

• Supporters needed to collect a minimum of 683,149 valid signatures by February 1, 2016, in order to qualify the measure for the November 2016 ballot.
• By February 1, 2016, petitioners had not submitted any valid signatures, according to the secretary of state.
• Supporters did not collect enough signatures by the deadline to reach the ballot.

2018

• Supporters needed to submit 766,200 valid signatures by February 1, 2018, in order to qualify the measure for the ballot.
• The initiative effort was closed on January 6, 2017, according to the Florida Division of Elections as of November 6, 2017.

State profile

Demographic data for Florida
	Florida	U.S.
Total population:	20,244,914	316,515,021
Land area (sq mi):	53,625	3,531,905
Race and ethnicity**
White:	76%	73.6%
Black/African American:	16.1%	12.6%
Asian:	2.6%	5.1%
Native American:	0.3%	0.8%
Pacific Islander:	0.1%	0.2%
Two or more:	2.4%	3%
Hispanic/Latino:	23.7%	17.1%
Education
High school graduation rate:	86.9%	86.7%
College graduation rate:	27.3%	29.8%
Income
Median household income:	$47,507	$53,889
Persons below poverty level:	19.8%	11.3%
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2010-2015) Click here for more information on the 2020 census and here for more on its impact on the redistricting process in Florida. **Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here.

Presidential voting pattern

See also: Presidential voting trends in Florida

Florida voted Republican in five out of the seven presidential elections between 2000 and 2024.

Pivot Counties (2016)

Ballotpedia identified 206 counties that voted for Donald Trump (R) in 2016 after voting for Barack Obama (D) in 2008 and 2012. Collectively, Trump won these Pivot Counties by more than 580,000 votes. Of these 206 counties, four are located in Florida, accounting for 1.94 percent of the total pivot counties.

Pivot Counties (2020)

In 2020, Ballotpedia re-examined the 206 Pivot Counties to view their voting patterns following that year's presidential election. Ballotpedia defined those won by Trump won as Retained Pivot Counties and those won by Joe Biden (D) as Boomerang Pivot Counties. Nationwide, there were 181 Retained Pivot Counties and 25 Boomerang Pivot Counties. Florida had three Retained Pivot Counties and one Boomerang Pivot County, accounting for 1.66 and 4.00 percent of all Retained and Boomerang Pivot Counties, respsectively.

More Florida coverage on Ballotpedia

• Elections in Florida
• United States congressional delegations from Florida
• Public policy in Florida
• Endorsers in Florida
• Florida fact checks
• More...

See also

Suggest a link

• 2018 ballot measures
• Florida 2018 ballot measures
• Laws governing the initiative process in Florida

External links

• Initiative information