Rick Scott’s healthcare plan would redirect federal support to families in Florida

More Affordable Care Act shifts aid

Florida Sen. Rick Scott is pushing a new direction for health coverage through his More Affordable Care Act. The proposal would allow participating states to redirect certain ACA-related federal assistance into new HSA-style accounts for eligible residents, rather than using the existing subsidy structure.

Scott says the approach would give consumers more control over premiums and plan choices. The proposal is national legislation, but its waiver-based changes would apply only in states that choose to participate, including Florida if the state opts into the program.

More Affordable Care Act adds accounts

The More Affordable Care Act would create accounts called Trump Health Freedom Accounts. In participating states, eligible residents could receive amounts tied to ACA premium tax credits and cost-sharing reductions through Trump Health Freedom Accounts, which could be used toward qualifying insurance premiums.

The measure does not eliminate the Affordable Care Act. The bill would leave the ACA in place and explicitly preserve federal protections for people with pre-existing conditions. Participating states could continue using a state or federal exchange or authorize certain commercial platforms under the proposed waiver system.

More Affordable Care Act widens choices

The Affordable Care Act also seeks to expand how consumers in participating states shop for insurance. The proposal is intended to give participating states more flexibility in how residents shop for coverage, potentially expanding the number of insurers and plan options available through approved marketplaces.

Supporters argue that more choices could increase competition. The bill would create a waiver system allowing plans approved in one participating state to be offered through exchanges or approved platforms in other participating states, subject to each state’s laws.

Federal dollars would move differently

One of the bill’s biggest changes involves where federal assistance goes. In states participating in the proposed waiver program, eligible residents could receive certain ACA-related federal assistance through individual health accounts instead of under the existing subsidy structure.

Families could then apply the money toward insurance premiums. The proposal is designed to give consumers a direct role in how federal assistance is spent, though the effects would depend on implementation and enrollment choices.

Fun fact: Federal hospital price-transparency requirements took effect on January 1, 2021.

ACA protections would remain

Scott’s proposal keeps several familiar pieces of the Affordable Care Act in place. The proposal would not abolish the ACA marketplace system. Participating states could operate their own exchange, authorize approved commercial platforms, or use a federal exchange under the bill’s waiver framework.

That means insurers could not deny coverage to eligible consumers because of a prior health condition, preserving one of the ACA’s most widely recognized consumer protections.

Fun fact: Marketplace plans already must cover treatment for pre-existing medical conditions under federal rules.

Price information gets attention

Another part of the proposal focuses on prices before care delivery. The bill would direct federal agencies to strengthen healthcare price reporting by requiring the disclosure of actual prices, improving standardization across hospitals and health plans, and expanding public reporting of provider outcomes.

The idea builds on federal price-transparency rules that already require hospitals to publish certain pricing information. The bill seeks to expand those efforts so families can compare costs before making some healthcare decisions.

Small businesses are included

Small businesses also appear in Scott’s plan. For employers in states participating in the waiver program, the bill would expand the existing small-business health insurance tax credit and broaden the eligibility for small employers.

Supporters say a larger credit could encourage more small employers to offer coverage. The actual benefit would vary by company size, employee wages, eligibility rules, and the final version approved by Congress.

State lines could matter less

The proposal would allow participating states to use waivers to broaden insurance choices across state lines. A plan authorized in one waiver state could be offered through exchanges or approved platforms in other participating states, subject to the laws of each state.

This could create more options in some markets, but insurance regulation differs among states. Any real-world effect would depend on which states participate, which insurers enter, and what coverage those plans provide.

The proposal began in 2025

Scott introduced the More Affordable Care Act in the Senate on November 20, 2025. The measure, numbered S. 3264, was referred to the Senate Finance Committee after its introduction.

That status matters because the proposal is not currently law. Its provisions would need congressional approval and the president’s signature before changing how federal health assistance, insurance sales, or other parts of the system operate.

Affordability is the central pitch

The proposal arrives as many Americans remain focused on insurance costs. Premiums, deductibles, prescription expenses, and medical bills can all shape how households experience the healthcare system.

Scott argues that directing assistance to consumers and increasing competition would help with affordability. Those outcomes are goals of the bill, not guaranteed results. Actual costs would depend on funding levels, insurer behavior, consumer choices, and final regulations.

Florida would share national changes

Florida residents could be affected if S. 3264 became law and Florida chose to participate in the proposed waiver program. Under the bill, a state’s governor or legislature could initiate participation, and eligible residents of a participating state could then qualify for the new account structure.

Florida is central to the story because Scott represents the state in the U.S. Senate, but S. 3264 is federal legislation. Its waiver provisions could operate in any state that chose to participate if the measure became law.

The bill has congressional allies

The bill has drawn support from Republican lawmakers who favor more consumer choice and market competition in healthcare. Senators Mike Lee and Cynthia Lummis joined as Senate cosponsors, while Rep. August Pfluger led companion legislation in the House.

That support gives the proposal allies in Congress, but does not guarantee passage. Like other federal healthcare bills, it must move through the legislative process before provisions can take effect.

For another healthcare update tied to insurance coverage, enrollment trends, and state-level changes, see why Affordable Care Act participation is falling more sharply in Kentucky.

No coverage rules change yet

Scott renewed attention on the proposal in September 2026 through his “Rescuing America” policy campaign. He presented the More Affordable Care Act as an answer to rising healthcare costs and concerns about consumer choice.

For families, the key point is that nothing has changed yet. S. 3264 has not changed current coverage rules, so its proposed account and waiver provisions are not in effect.

For another healthcare update tied to insurance costs, medical spending, and household budgets, see why healthcare remains so expensive across the U.S.

How could this proposed healthcare funding model affect Florida families if the state were to participate? Share your thoughts and drop a comment.

This slideshow was made with AI assistance and human editing.

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