HB73, the “Dave and Angie Patient and Health Provider Protection Act,” would authorize physicians to prescribe off-label medications, prevent state and local agencies from enforcing certain related federal rules or orders, and prohibit the denial of nutrition or fluids to a patient.
The House passed HB73 on June 21, 2023, by a vote of 75 to 17. We have assigned pluses to the yeas because this bill would improve the ability of health providers to effectively treat and care for their patients without fear of government retribution, especially in the aftermath of COVID-19. Patients have a right to rely upon the practices of the physicians of their choice, and any effort to interfere with their medical freedom ought to be rejected, as an individual’s non-injurious activities, including health decisions, are private matters that should not be under federal, state, or local jurisdiction in the United States. To compel American citizens to receive, or abide by unnecessary restrictions on, medical treatment would be to violate their fundamental liberties protected by the Bill of Rights and the 14th Amendment.