Florida Considers Managed Care Program To Cut Medicaid Costs
In Florida, the state legislature is looking for ways to cut Medicaid costs and one of the options is setting up a state-wide managed care program.
NPR: To Cap Medicaid, Florida Looks To Managed Care
In Tallahassee, Florida's Legislature has one overriding goal this session: to close a $4.5 billion budget shortfall. And one of the key programs it is targeting for cuts is Medicaid (Allen, 3/8).
Health News Florida: House Unveils Medicaid Overhaul
More patient and less confrontational than the Senate, the Florida House has released a proposal to transform Medicaid into a statewide managed-care program during the next five years. ... Both the House and Senate have the same goal: shifting hundreds of thousands of low-income and elderly people into managed-care plans. But they take vastly different approaches. The House bill eschews the Senate's threats to begin having Florida run the program itself -- and potentially give up billions of dollars in federal money -- if Washington doesn't go along with proposed changes (Saunders, 3/7).
The Miami Herald: Sides Gird Up For Medicaid Fight
In Florida, poverty is big business. Just look at the Medicaid healthcare program, which could account for $22 billion in spending in the coming budget year. It's the most expensive program in the state budget right now and funds more than 80,000 providers, from large hospitals to podiatrists. But with all the increases - 50 percent over five years - lawmakers say they have to tamp down costs and improve care. Their solution: require that HMO-like managed-care companies take more control of Medicaid (Caputo, 3/7).