Florida has enacted a new set of laws requiring healthcare insurance companies doing business in the state to offer Health Savings Accounts no later than January 1.

Governor Jeb Bush signed the new law, part of an omnibus offering including new rules for cost disclosures as part of a statewide series of stops June 14.

The law contains provisions requiring hospitals to inform patients how much a procedure costs, so the patient can shop around. The Florida Patient Safety Corp. was also formed to study hospitals' mistakes and recommend ways to avoid them.

By far, the most impact will come from the new rules requiring insurance providers to offer HSAs to all Florida businesses.

The chief actuary for the Office of Insurance Regulation, Frank Dino, said that with higher deductibles, health insurance premiums can fall from about $900 a month to about $300.

Experts expect this new offering to particularly impact 400,000 Florida small firms with 10 or less employees. At the same time, the law allows small businesses to band together to establish insurance purchasing pools if they are unable to get insurance elsewhere.