Florida legislation · 2026 Regular Session
Florida S70: Step-therapy Protocols
Status: Failed, March 13, 2026
Requiring the Agency for Health Care Administration to approve drug products for Medicaid recipients for the treatment of serious mental illness without step-therapy prior authorization under certain circumstances; directing the agency to include rate impacts resulting from the act in certain rates that become effective on a specified date, etc.
What the bill says
An act relating to step-therapy protocols; amending s. 409.901, F.S.; defining the term âserious mental illnessâ; amending s. 409.912, F.S.; requiring the Agency for Health Care Administration to approve drug products for Medicaid recipients for the treatment of serious mental illness without step-therapy prior authorization under certain circumstances; amending s. 409.910, F.S.; conforming a cross-reference; directing the agency to include rate impacts resulting from the act in certain rates that become effective on a specified date; providing effective dates.
From the introduced text, September 23, 2025:
A bill to be entitled An act relating to step-therapy protocols; amending s. 409.901, F.S.; defining the term âserious mental illnessâ; amending s. 409.912, F.S.; requiring the Agency for Health Care Administration to approve drug products for Medicaid recipients for the treatment of serious mental illness without step-therapy prior authorization under certain circumstances; amending s. 409.910, F.S.; conforming a cross-reference; directing the agency to include rate impacts resulting from the act in certain rates that become effective on a specified date; providing effective dates. Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: Section 1.âPresent subsections (27) and (28) of section 409.901, Florida Statutes, are redesignated as subsections (28) and (29), respectively, and a new subsection (27) is added to that section, to ss. 409.901-409.920.âAs used in ss. 409.901-409.920, except as otherwise specifically provided, the term: (27)ââSerious mental illnessâ means any of the following psychiatric disorders as defined in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition, published by the American Psychiatric Association: (a)âBipolar disorders, including hypomanic, manic, depressive, and mixed-feature episodes. (b)âDepression in childhood or adolescence. (c)âMajor depressive disorders, including single and recurrent depressive episodes. (d)âObsessive-compulsive disorders. (e)âParanoid personality disorder or other psychotic disorders. (f)âSchizoaffective disorders, including bipolar or depressive symptoms. (g)âSchizophrenia. Section 2.âParagraph (a) of subsection (5) of section 409.912, Florida Statutes, is amended …