Florida Senate - 2026 SB 1070
By Senator Rodriguez
40-00575B-26 20261070__
1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to state group insurance program
3 coverage for obesity treatment; amending s. 110.12303,
4 F.S.; requiring the Department of Management Services
5 to provide coverage for specified strategies for the
6 evidence-based treatment and management of obesity and
7 related conditions for state group health insurance
8 plan policies issued on or after a specified date;
9 prohibiting coverage criteria for weight management
10 medications from being more restrictive than the
11 United States Food and Drug Administration’s
12 indications for such medications; requiring the
13 department to adopt certain protocols and criteria by
14 a specified date; specifying such protocols and
15 criteria; defining terms; requiring the department to
16 submit a specified report to the Governor and
17 Legislature annually by a specified date; providing an
18 effective date.
19
20 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
21
22 Section 1. Subsection (9) is added to section 110.12303,
23 Florida Statutes, to read:
24 110.12303 State group insurance program; additional
25 benefits; price transparency program; reporting.—
26 (9)(a) For state group health insurance plan policies
27 issued on or after January 1, 2027, the department shall provide
28 coverage for all of the following evidence-based strategies for
29 the treatment and management of obesity and related conditions,
30 as prescribed by a licensed provider:
31 1. Intensive health behavioral and lifestyle intervention.
32 2. FDA-approved weight management medications.
33 (b) Coverage criteria for FDA-approved weight management
34 medications may not be more restrictive than the United States
35 Food and Drug Administration-approved indications for such
36 medications. Coverage for intensive health behavioral and
37 lifestyle treatment may include interventions certified or
38 recognized by the United States Centers for Disease Control and
39 Prevention or recommended by current clinical standards of care.
40 Services may be provided in an office setting, through
41 telehealth, or in community-based settings to support patient
42 access and needs.
43 (c) The department shall adopt protocols and criteria for
44 such coverage by January 1, 2027, which must include, but are
45 not limited to, that the employee:
46 1. Is enrolled in one of the state group health insurance
47 plans or HMO plans participating under this section;
48 2. Is 18 years of age or older;
49 3. Was referred and is supervised by an in-network licensed
50 provider;
51 4. Has consented to provide personal and medical
52 information to the department, including medical records
53 documenting body mass index or weight-related comorbidities;
54 5. Has received a clinical diagnosis of obesity by an in
55 network licensed provider;
56 6. Is required to participate in intensive health
57 behavioral and lifestyle intervention; and
58 7. Meets any additional clinical and participation
59 requirements to manage the cost of coverage.
60 (d) As used in this subsection, the term:
61 1. “FDA-approved weight management medication” means any
62 glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) agonist medication approved by
63 the United States Food and Drug Administration with an
64 indication for chronic weight management in patients with an
65 obesity diagnosis.
66 2. “Intensive health behavioral and lifestyle intervention”
67 means an evidence-based, intensive, multicomponent behavioral or
68 lifestyle modification intervention designed to support healthy
69 weight management as recommended by current clinical standards
70 of care. Interventions include obesity screening, nutrition
71 assessment, nutrition diagnosis, nutrition intervention,
72 nutrition monitoring and evaluation, and behavioral counseling
73 and therapy aimed at weight loss through lifestyle
74 modifications, such as changes in diet and increased physical
75 activity. Interventions may be provided in office, through
76 telehealth, or in community-based settings to support patient
77 access and needs. Therapy for obesity must be delivered in
78 accordance with applicable national clinical standards of care,
79 using evidence-based behavioral counseling frameworks.
80 (e) By January 15 of each year, the department shall submit
81 a report to the Governor, the President of the Senate, and the
82 Speaker of the House of Representatives. The report must include
83 the participation level and cost savings to both the enrollee
84 and the state resulting from implementation of this subsection.
85 Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2026.