In mid-February 2026, a high-stakes legislative effort to allow Broward County’s two public hospital systems to collaborate more deeply has stalled in the Florida Legislature. House Bill 1047 and its companion, Senate Bill 1122, sought to grant Broward Health and Memorial Healthcare System “state action immunity” from antitrust laws, a move supporters argued was essential for regional efficiency but critics labeled a “backdoor merger.”
The bills’ postponement follows intense pushback from private competitors and local residents who expressed concerns over transparency and the potential redirection of local tax dollars.
The Legislative Gridlock: HB 1047 & SB 1122
The proposed legislation aimed to empower these independent special taxing districts to form joint ventures, service lines, and business entities—both for-profit and nonprofit—across their combined boundaries.
The Impetus: Supporters, led by Shane Strum (CEO of both systems), argued that the law would help the safety-net hospitals compete with private giants like HCA Florida Healthcare and fill “health deserts” where private providers have exited unprofitable services, such as maternity care.
The Opposition: Private hospital systems, specifically HCA Health, lobbied heavily against the bill, arguing it would create a taxpayer-subsidized monopoly.
Public Sentiment: A December 2025 poll by The Tyson Group revealed that 73% of Broward voters opposed the plan once they learned it could bypass the legal requirements or voter approval normally required for a full merger.
Key Concerns Leading to the Stall
Legislators and the Sun Sentinel Editorial Board highlighted three primary “red flags” that ultimately cooled support for the bills:
Antitrust Immunity: The bill would have allowed the systems to collaborate regardless of “competitive consequences,” effectively insulating them from state and federal antitrust scrutiny.
Tax Dollar Redirection: Critics warned the bill lacked geographic safeguards, potentially allowing tax revenue collected in one district to be spent in another without local voter consent.
Transparency Gap: Opponents argued the new “joint operating networks” could operate with significantly less public oversight than the individual hospital boards currently maintain under Florida’s Sunshine Laws.
