Beginning this year (2025), Senate Bill 1550 (and 1552) took effect which was signed into law by Governor DeSantis in 2023 to hold pharmaceutical manufacturers and insurance companies accountable for medication prices and billing practices. However, the Office of Insurance Regulations (OIR) has asked for all prescription data from insurance companies for all prescriptions filled in the year of 2024 to include name, date of birth and physician information. When asked about why so much private medical information is necessary to look into the billing practices of the insurance companies, the OIR refuses to answer this question.

Not only is the privacy of millions of Floridians at stake but the OIR has specifically said they want all prescriptions filled in the state during 2024 which is to include out of state residents who filled a prescription in the state too. If the OIR wants to keep insurance companies transparent about their billing a few things should be required. They need to keep the information requests to the minimum amount necessary as per the HIPAA law or they need to be transparent about what all this information will be used for and how they will ensure the information will not be used inappropriately by those allowed access. Allowing the OIR unrestricted access to information which can be weaponized against Floridians should not be allowed without transparency or accountability for wrongdoing. 

If the OIR is not stopped now, at the very beginning of this new process then it opens the door for them to continue to get data they do not necessarily need but has become clear they want without being questioned by the people it affects most, Floridians. If we do not send them a clear message that this is not what we want nor are we okay with them obtaining our information without consent. Hiding behind a bill which does not mention this type of information being necessary or required to do their biennial audit. Hiding behind the exemptions which HIPAA provides for government agencies to ensure that insurance companies are being transparent while accessing information they refuse to be transparent about what that information will be used for to anyone who questions them. Deflecting to blame the insurance companies who have had issues with data breaches meanwhile not answering the simple question everyone is asking, “What do you plan to do to ensure this private information is not misused or weaponized by those inside the OIR?”