Trust Funds/Creation/Experimental Treatments for Terminal Conditions and Life-threatening Rare Diseases

Plain English Breakdown

The bill does not specify the exact details of how contributions or no-cost care will be adopted by rule, leaving some uncertainty in implementation specifics.

Experimental Treatment Access Trust Fund

This bill creates a trust fund to assist eligible patients with costs related to travel for experimental treatments, funded by contributions from licensed treatment centers.

What This Bill Does

• Creates the Experimental Treatment Access Trust Fund within the Department of Health.
• Allows licensed experimental treatment centers to contribute up to 2% of their net annual profits from experimental treatments to this fund.
• Licensed experimental treatment centers can provide care at no cost instead of contributing money.
• Sets a termination date for the trust fund on July 1, 2030, unless it is reviewed and extended earlier.

Who It Names or Affects

• Eligible patients with terminal conditions or rare diseases who need experimental treatments.
• Licensed experimental treatment centers that can contribute to the trust fund or provide care at no cost.

Terms To Know

Experimental Treatment Access Trust Fund

A special fund created by the state to help people with terminal conditions or rare diseases pay for travel and costs related to experimental treatments.

Licensed Experimental Treatment Centers

Medical facilities that are allowed by law to provide new, unproven medical treatments to patients.

Limits and Unknowns

• The bill only takes effect if another piece of legislation (HB 1381) is also passed in the same session.
• It does not specify how much money will be available or what specific costs it covers for eligible patients.

Official Summary Text

Trust Funds/Creation/Experimental Treatments for Terminal Conditions and Life-threatening Rare Diseases; Creates Experimental Treatment Access Trust Fund for specified purposes; authorizes licensed experimental treatment centers to contribute specified amount to trust fund or provide specified care at no cost; provides for termination of trust fund.

Current Bill Text

HB 1385 2026

CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
hb1385-00
Page 1 of 2
F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S

A bill to be entitled 1
An act relating to trust funds; creating s. 499.02955, 2
F.S.; creating the Experimental Treatment Access Trust 3
Fund for specified purposes; authorizing licensed 4
experimental treatment centers to contribute a 5
specified amount to the trust fund or provide 6
specified care at no cost; providing for termination 7
of the trust fund; providing a contingent effective 8
date. 9
10
Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: 11
12
Section 1. Section 499.02955, Florida Statutes, is created 13
to read: 14
499.02955 Experimental Treatment Access Trust Fund.— 15
(1) There is created in the State Treasury the 16
Experimental Treatment Access Trust Fund within the Department 17
of Health, from which the Legislature may appropriate funds for 18
the purpose of assisting eligible patients who are residents of 19
this state with costs associated with travel to receive 20
experimental treatment or partial care costs under this section. 21
(2) Each licensed experimental treatment center may 22
contribute 2 percent of net annual profits from experimental 23
treatments to the Experimental Treatment Access Trust Fund, or 24
may provide at no cost experimental treatment care in an 25

HB 1385 2026

CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
hb1385-00
Page 2 of 2
F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S

equivalent amount as adopted by rule by the department. 26
(3) In accordance with s. 19(f)(2), Art. III of the State 27
Constitution, the Experimental Treatment Access Trust Fund 28
shall, unless terminated sooner, be terminated on July 1, 2030. 29
Before its termination, the trust fund shall be reviewed as 30
provided in s. 215.3206(1). 31
Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2026, but 32
only if HB 1381 or similar legislation is adopted in the same 33
legislative session or an extension thereof and becomes a law. 34