Consumer advocates against proposal to raise the cost of copying medical records

"Electronic records are supposed to cost LESS than paper records," Newton told CL in an email. "Nobody has to dig through files and make copies and all that. Just a quick search and email the record, how hard can it be? Most of us now see the nurse or doctor pull up our records at their office today, and we're amazed at all the details they have at their fingertips, vs paper records, when the doc would have to thumb through pages and pages of your file and maybe find something you mentioned."

Newton added that medical records are part of lawsuits for a variety of reasons, and he suspects that placing an obstacle in the path of obtaining this information might mean the difference between winning and losing.

"And every time a lawyer makes a decision on taking a case, the cost of the case is a major factor," he said."Raising the cost by any increment means fewer law suits."

In addition to FCAN, a host of other groups oppose the proposal, including the Florida Alliance for Retired Americans, AARP, NOW, and the Consumer Federation of the Southeast, who all contend that the proposed change would put a financial hurt on the state's most vulnerable cities — the sick, disabled, elderly and low-income folks.