Medicaid assists more than 5 million people in Florida. When anything changes to the system, it affects how everyone receiving that support continues to benefit.
Florida Politics reports how Governor Ron DeSantis signed a heavily lobbied health care bill into law that aims to shift how the state handles managed care contracts.
Out with the old
Over the last decade, those receiving Medicaid assistance received care through managed care companies due to the requirement that beneficiaries join a managed care plan.
Florida’s managed care contracts expire at the end of 2024 and so the state seeks to lay the foundation of soliciting new contracts.
In with the new
Advocates of the new law claim the new changes should help make contract procurement easier by eliminating the requirement for Florida to seek separate contract bids for each Medicaid region in Florida.
Prior to the new law, Florida split itself into 11 Medicaid regions. That division is now down to nine.
While the original draft sought to combine dental services with this managed care service, Florida legislators settled on keeping that aspect separate.
Here for the people
The term managed care describes health care that focuses on reducing costs while keeping care quality high. Managed care systems include provider networks, oversight and prescription drug tiers, among other things. As laws change for these systems—so too do things change for the beneficiary.
When it comes to planning out Medicaid needs, it is important to understand how changes in the law affect changes in care and to lean on resources that may help navigate those changes.
