Medicaid Program – Florida

Posted on March 19, 2012 by townsend

• Florida challenges Medicaid spending ‘by force’, By Greg Allen, March 19, 2012, National Public Radio: “When the Supreme Court hears arguments over President Obama’s health care law this week, one item on the table will be a program that has been in place for nearly 50 years. Medicaid, a joint federal-state program that provides health care for the poor, was signed into law by Lyndon Johnson. Under the Affordable Care Act, it will be greatly expanded and provide coverage for millions of uninsured, including low-income adults without children. Opponents say the expansion is unconstitutional because it challenges states’ authority and forces them to spend more. And in Florida and other states, there is already a lot about Medicaid that officials don’t like. Medicaid spending is one of the largest items in many states’ budgets, and it has been growing especially fast since the recession began…”
• Collier, Lee join counties taking on state over Medicaid payment decision, By Katherine Albers, March 18, 2012, Naples News: “County governments across Florida are asking Gov. Rick Scott to veto a bill that would require them to pay hundreds of millions of dollars in disputed Medicaid payments to the state. Collier and Lee counties joined in the dispute this past week, as commissioners sent letters to Scott calling for him to reject the legislation. House Bill 5301, which seeks to recoup $300 million in unpaid Medicaid bills over five years, would give counties two options: Pay 100 percent of what the state says the counties owe and have the opportunity to retroactively dispute claims, or give up the right to appeal, but only pay 85 percent of what the state says the counties owe…”