FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE May 29, 2025 CONTACT: [email protected]

Gov. DeSantis vetoed House Bill 6017, Recovery of Damages for Medical Negligence Resulting in Death, preserving quality, accessible and affordable health care in Florida

Tallahassee, FL – The Florida Hospital Association (FHA) applauds Governor Ron DeSantis for vetoing today House Bill 6017, Recovery of Damages for Medical Negligence Resulting in Death. The legislation, if signed into law, would threaten timely access to care and exacerbate healthcare affordability as lawsuits and nuclear settlements increase and physicians move to other states to practice.

Following the announcement, Mary C. Mayhew, president and CEO of the Florida Hospital Association, issued the following statement:

“Floridians rely on a strong, stable health care workforce – whether it’s a mom delivering her baby, an elderly man managing a chronic condition or a family in a rural town seeking care close to home. Under the leadership of Governor Ron DeSantis, Florida has made great strides in bolstering its health care workforce and expanding access to care. With a projected shortage of 18,000 doctors by 2035, it’s more important now than ever to recruit and retain doctors to care for our communities. If HB 6017 were signed into law, it would risk access to care with physicians choosing to practice in other states because of the constant threat of lawsuits in Florida and by further driving up the cost of care with skyrocketing nuclear settlements. The Florida Hospital Association commends Governor DeSantis for vetoing HB 6017, putting the health and well-being of Floridians first and safeguarding the future of Florida’s health care delivery system.”

Dr. Larry Antonucci, chair of FHA’s Board of Trustees and president and CEO of Lee Health, echoed support for the Governor’s decision during a press conference, stating:

“We have an access challenge here in the state of Florida – we’ve all experienced it, and this is just a bill that will make that worse. We know any barrier that you put between patients and physicians and hospitals is not the right decision to make, and this bill does that. It will clearly increase costs. It will affect emergency services. When you think about high-risk specialties like obstetrics and emergency medicine, this is going to increase the cost – there is no doubt about it, and it will be a deterrent to the one thing that is critical for all of us, and that's the recruitment of physicians to this state. People here in southwest Florida and throughout the state deserve better; they deserve a strong, sustainable health care system, and this bill just simply doesn't do that. It's focused on legalities, it's focused on finance, but it's not focused on the patient. And I think we have to commend Governor DeSantis for putting patients first."

ABOUT THE FHA

Founded in 1927, the Florida Hospital Association (FHA) is the leading voice for health care in the State of Florida. Through representation and advocacy, education, and informational services, the Florida Hospital Association supports the mission of over 200 hospitals and health care systems to provide the highest quality of care to the patients we serve. Led by President and CEO Mary Mayhew, the Florida Hospital Association is located in Tallahassee and is governed by a Board of Trustees and officers elected by the member institutions.

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