Marie Woodson targets health care gaps, child safety, disability rights

Democratic Rep. Marie Woodson is prioritizing bills this Session on an array of issues, from surgical safety and insurance network disruptions to child protection.

But there’s a central theme that unites them, she said: putting people first.

“When I took the vow of office, I vowed to protect the people of the state of Florida,” Woodson said. “That’s what I do every day. I look out for them, protect them and make sure they have a better quality of life, a way to become more self-sufficient and successful.”

One of Woodson’s top health care measures (HB 93) would require hospitals and ambulatory surgical centers to use smoke evacuation systems during procedures likely to generate surgical smoke.

She said the push, which Democratic Sen. Tracie Davis is carrying in the Senate (SB 162), has drawn resistance.

“Some people are against it. I don’t see why,” she said, adding that hospitals are already required to use small equipment to capture surgical smoke, but some don’t.

“They might be thinking they could get sued. I don’t care about that. By 2035, we’re expected to have a nursing shortage in Florida. We have a shortage of doctors. Let’s do right by those people.”

Woodson is also carrying a measure with Sen. Shevrin Jones (HB 577, SB 114) in response to a dispute between Florida Blue and Memorial Healthcare System that left many Broward County patients out of network.

Jones was among them, telling Florida Politics the disruption left him “in limbo,” paying out-of-pocket and in need of another doctor.

The legislation would require at least 60 days’ notice before insurers and providers end network relationships. Patients in active treatment could continue seeing their provider under the same contract terms for up to six months or through postpartum care.

Woodson said she has received many calls about the issue.

“I want to put certain things in place to make sure people are covered, that there’s a grace period before they can tell you, ‘Hey, your insurance is not taking this,’” she said. “Because by the time they do the negotiations, you don’t even have time to look for a different hospital or doctor; you’re just being dropped.”

On public safety, Woodson’s HB 83 would require officers making an arrest to ask standardized questions about minor children and verify that they are safe and with a responsible guardian, with authority to contact the state abuse hotline if needed.

She is also backing a bipartisan proposal with Sen. Ileana Garcia (HB 533, SB 562) to create a bill of rights for people with disabilities, including the right to use preferred alternative communication methods in schools, health care settings and public interactions.

Woodson said people with disabilities can sometimes be made to feel invisible because of their special communication needs.

“Sometimes others act like they are not even there,” she said. “I want to make sure that whatever they use to speak is allowed either in school or through the state of Florida, that they have the right to communicate in whatever preferred manner they have.”

Woodson, who serves as House Minority Whip, has represented HD 105 since 2020. The district spans part of Miami-Dade and Broward counties, including Hallandale Beach, Hollywood, Pembroke Park and West Park.