Simply Not A Simple Extension
June 16, 2010- The 2010 Legislature authorized the Agency for Health Care Administration to ask for an extension of the federal Waiver that created the Medicaid Reform experiment. The 5-year Pilot Program is currently scheduled to end in June 2011.
Budget Vetoes Boost Medicaid, Add Intrigue
June 16, 2010- On May 28, Governor Charlie Crist signed the 2010-11 State budget into law. At the same time, however, he announced line-item vetoes eliminating dozens of specific items from the budget, many of which were controversial.
Expecting Worse Makes Bad Budget Better
Despite facing another bleak budget picture and the strongest pressure to rein in Medicaid spending in 5 years, the Florida Legislature spared the 2010-11 Medicaid budget from most of the deep cuts that had seemed inevitable for months.
HMO Medicaid Takeover Fails...For Now
A month ago, massive expansion of Medicaid managed care seemed one of the safest bets of the 2010 legislative session. Yet the session ended with the Legislature taking only the minimum action necessary to keep the current Medicaid Reform experiment alive.
Legislature's Plan B to Steal from Medicaid
Money laundering involves the use of financial transactions to hide the source or destination of unlawfully gained money. Although the Legislature isn`t actually laundering money, that term aptly explains their latest maneuver in the ongoing effort to divert billions in federal stimulus money provided specifically to preserve Medicaid, even as they continue to cut the program.
You Helped Derail Risky Medicaid Overhaul!
Legislative leaders (and Governor Crist) have agreed that there is too much risk and not enough potential benefit associated with ramming through any massive Medicaid managed care expansion this year. After negotiating for the better part of a week over their differing approaches, House and Senate leaders announced that they will not pursue an overhaul of Medicaid this year, but rather will continue to explore options over a longer period.
Legislature Urged to Tap Misdirected Funds to Protect Medicaid and Resolve Federal Investigation
As the Florida House and Senate continue negotiating potential Medicaid cuts in light of an overall budget shortfall and differing budget priorities, Medicaid advocates today called on leaders to avoid making cuts by tapping $900 million in reserves siphoned from Medicaid stimulus funding last year.
