Medicaid

Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration is asking the federal government for an additional $1.1 billion in federal Medicaid dollars over the next two years to bolster access to home- and community-based programs and steer steer hundreds of millions of dollars to poor, elderly and disabled Floridians to purchase technology and make home improvements that enable them to age in place.

They don't qualify for Medicaid in their states, but earn too little to be eligible for subsidized ACA health plans. It's a gap in health care coverage, and some politicians are trying to fix it.

Under the Affordable Care Act, the federal government covers 90% of the cost to expand Medicaid in Florida. The recent $1.9 trillion federal COVID-19 relief measure signed by President Joe Biden also offers extra money to incentivize the 12 Medicaid expansion holdout states, which includes Florida.

Florida is in the midst of what some call a “maternal mortality crisis” Officials say mothers are dying preventable deaths, often months after childbirth. Florida lawmakers are hoping to fight that by extending the time mothers can receive health coverage through Medicaid from the current 2-months, to a year.

In all, the plan would provide $244 million for benefits, which also include mental health counseling. Under current law, many women lose their benefits 60 days after having children.

Florida lawmakers are facing a $2-billion budget shortfall. When it comes to filling that gap, Senate President Wilton Simpson says “everything is on the table,” including potential cuts to the payments hospitals get for caring for low income patients through the Medicaid program.

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In a report posted online Monday, economists projected that Medicaid costs in the current fiscal year, which started July 1, will total $31.6 billion, which is about 19 percent higher than during the 2019-2020 fiscal year. The COVID-19 pandemic, which has played a major role in increased enrollment, hit the state several months into the 2019-2020 fiscal year.

Florida has seen a spike in Medicaid enrollment since the COVID-19 pandemic began, and the agency responsible for enrolling and disenrolling people in the health-care program is swamped.

A revised projection of enrollment for the 2021-2022 state fiscal year, which will start July 1, includes about 220,000 more people than economists previously projected.

The Trump administration has given states ways to restrict spending on the government insurance program for low-income Americans. A Biden administration would expand Medicaid coverage.

This post will be updated today, Thursday, Oct. 22, and through the week with the latest information on COVID-19 in South Florida.