A spokeswoman for Senate President Toni Jennings, who is running for insurance commissioner, said she is open to talking about the issue. Meanwhile, Bush wants to continue to expand a program begun by his Democratic predecessor that provides state-subsidized health insurance to the children of the working poor. But Republicans are unwilling to cede the health care territory. It was, after all, a Democratic governor who vetoed a 1996 bill that would have given people the right to sue HMOs. Looming crises As the two parties vie for the hearts of health care consumers, they must also confront a series of potential health crises that may not play as well with the public.
Nursing homes top the list.
With legal liability insurers that have covered nursing homes now fleeing the state, there is a renewed push for a law to limit the multimillion-dollar patient abuse judgments that have plagued the industry in recent years. Meanwhile, almost 20 percent of the state's nursing home beds are operating under Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. Five nursing home companies filed for bankruptcy in the last year alone. Patient advocates say the lawsuits are a symptom of the bad care nursing homes deliver, but the industry blames a state law that makes such lawsuits particularly lucrative for lawyers. Raising the specter of mass closings that could leave elderly Floridians with no place else to go, the nursing home industry hopes to limit lawyers fees and raise the standard of proof for medical abuse cases.