In March 2026, the ACN Florida Primary Care Coalition, of which I'm a founding member, reached a major legislative milestone for healthcare access in Florida. Senate Bill 1480 and House Bill 809 passed both chambers of the Florida Legislature and headed to the Governor's desk.
What the legislation does
The bills protect more than 2.6 million Floridians from losing access to their primary care physicians because of federal administrative changes to Area of Critical Need (ACN) designations. They allow 1,177 ACN-licensed physicians to keep serving their patients without disruption.
How it came together
When federal policy shifts threatened to displace those physicians, the coalition stepped forward as the first organized group to define the policy gap and drive a legislative solution. Under the leadership of Senator Colleen Burton and Representative Johanna Lopez, and with support from the Florida Medical Association, urgency turned into action.
About patients, not politics
This is about making sure administrative technicalities don't dismantle trusted doctor-patient relationships or push vulnerable patients into overcrowded emergency rooms. The work continues as we strengthen Florida's primary care infrastructure.
Originally shared on LinkedIn. Follow along there for weekly notes on value-based care, primary care and policy.