Bush signs bills on lung transplants, child support [Jeb helps those w/cystic fibrosis]

Bush signs bills on lung transplants, child support

Thursday, May 9, 2002

Associated Press

TALLAHASSEE - Medicaid will cover lung transplants for all its recipients, and tens of thousands of parents will get child support payments sooner under bills signed Tuesday by Gov. Jeb Bush.

Medicaid had only covered lung transplants for children before Bush signed a bill (SB 2048) to extend the benefits. It was named after Jennifer Knight, a 20-year-old Naples woman who will need a lung transplant in two to three years.

"Lives will be saved at a minimal expense, given the value of life," Bush said. "Jennifer brought this idea to attention of lawmakers and I'm very pleased and proud of the fact that they seized the moment."

Knight, who has cystic fibrosis, wiped away tears as Bush signed the bill.

Earlier, she said, "We were able to show the Legislature that a crack existed in the system ... through the grace of God and the compassion of many we have accomplished filling in the crack."

Bush also signed a bill (HB 1689) that will speed up the process of establishing a child support order in cases where there is no dispute over the identity of the father.

"This will be a record this year, we will collect more money for child support than we ever have before. It will probably be a 14 percent increase," said Jim Zingale, executive director of the state Department of Revenue.

Child support is supposed to paid for more than 900,000 Florida children.

Also, Bush signed a bill (SB 108) that will provide workers' compensation benefits for firefighters, emergency medical technicians and paramedics injured while helping people when off-duty or out of their jurisdiction.

One of the bills discussed above closed a loophole in Medicaid insurance, by: requiring Medicaid to stop refusing to fund lung transplants for adults. Medicaid would pay for lung transplants for children, but until Gov. Bush signed this bill, adults had no such coverage.

This new insurance coverage all came about because an average FL citizen spoke up. So, many thanks to the efforts of this FL family - and, thanks to a governor who listens.

Finally, the local news article below provides more information about this important new law. From that article:

Bush thanked the Knight family for bringing Medicaid's shortcoming to the Legislature's attention.

"It's another example of people taking their ideas and bringing about action," Bush said.

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From The Naples Daily News:

A Knight to remember

Gov. Bush celebrates Medicaid lung transplant bill signing with Naples woman it's named after

The family of Jennifer Knight,
Jennifer Knight, Gov Jeb Bush,
and a FL Rep Burt Saunders.

Thursday, May 9, 2002

By LIZ FREEMAN, epfreeman@naplesnews.com

TALLAHASSEE - Jennifer Knight bought a new powder-blue suit dress for the occasion.

The 20-year-old Naples woman made the purchase in March, weeks before she knew Gov. Jeb Bush would be signing legislation in her name.

"I had a sense the bill would pass," Knight said Wednesday in Tallahassee before the governor held a bill-signing ceremony.

The Jennifer Knight Medicaid Lung Transplant Act provides Medicaid coverage for lung transplants needed by adults who were diagnosed with progressive lung disease as minors. Up to now, the government-funded insurance has not covered adult lung transplants, but it has paid for kidney, liver, heart, cornea and bone marrow transplants needed by adults. The change in the law for lung transplants takes effect July 1.

Knight was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis as an infant. In March 1999, she was placed on the national organ waiting list to have a double lung transplant. Last fall, the Knight family, of Naples, got a shocker: Don't expect Medicaid to pay for it.

After a doctor's checkup, Knight was told she wouldn't need the transplant for another 18 months or so, likely after her 21st birthday. Without Medicaid coverage, her family was told to raise $255,000, or 80 percent of the transplant expense, by her 21st birthday or she would be scratched from the organ waiting list.

The bill-signing culminated nine months of work by Knight's mother, Heather Knight, who lobbied state lawmakers, with her daughter in tow, to have the law changed to end her daughter's predicament and to help other families. As of last count, 324 children in Florida with cystic fibrosis are on Medicaid and may need lung transplants some day.

"I feel a huge sense of relief," Heather Knight said. "I knew no matter what happened, I wasn't going to stop until it (the law) got fixed."

Her daughter was asked by the governor's office to speak at the ceremony, where she thanked state Sen. Burt Saunders, R-Naples, and state Rep. Perry McGriff, D-Gainesville, who jointly sponsored the legislation.

"Through the grace of God and the compassion of many, we have accomplished closing this crack," Jennifer Knight said of what had been Medicaid's discrepancy toward adults needing lung transplants. "With the enactment of this bill, families like ours will have one less thing to worry about."

The 10-minute ceremony in the Cabinet room in the Capitol included Knight's father, both brothers, sister, grandparents and an aunt. Later, the family met privately with the governor.

Saunders missed the ceremony by a few minutes while lawmakers met in a special session.

"The wonderful (part) of the Legislature is being able to do meaningful and helpful things," Saunders said of the Knight bill. "This is a perfect example of the Legislature coming together. I'm proud to be a part of it."

The bill was passed unanimously in both the House and the Senate.

"This is a bipartisan bill. It is for all of humanity," McGriff said. "It is the right thing to do."

Bush thanked the Knight family for bringing Medicaid's shortcoming to the Legislature's attention.

"It's another example of people taking their ideas and bringing about action," Bush said.

About 30,000 children and adults in the United States have cystic fibrosis, a progressive lung disease that causes the body to produce an abnormally thick mucous that clogs the lungs and can hinder digestion and vitamin absorption. Until the discovery in 1989 of the defective gene that causes it, the disease invariably proved fatal, Now, with advanced medications and therapies more people are surviving into adulthood.

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