House members began delving into Medicaid reform possibilities Tuesday, taking testimony for two hours from nearly 30 representatives of special interests on how the system that pays for care for the state’s most vulnerable should be revamped to cut costs.
State economists have predicted that for the 2011 fiscal year, Medicaid will cost $20.2 billion and serve 2.9 million people.
Republican state lawmakers are predicting the new federal health care law will vastly expand the system and are desperate to cut down on the price tag.
The likely plan emerging from the House and Senate is an expansion of the managed care system that was originally piloted in five Florida counties.
“What do I take away from today’s meeting?,” asked Rep. Rob Schenck, chair of the House Health and Human Services Committee. “That there are a lot of stakeholders in Medicaid and Medicaid reform and that they will probably not all be happy at the end. It’s not my goal to make anybody happy. It’s my goal to make a good product that works for the Florida taxpayers and works for the Medicaid population, make sure they get the care that they need.”
Schenck said the two subcommittees will hold future hearings to take testimony from stakeholders and that he hopes to have a bill released by the end of February.
The News Service of Florida
