A section of the state’s Medicaid overhaul plan gives a preference in choosing providers for Medicaid recipients to companies that are based in Florida, Health News Florida reported on Tuesday.
That could be an enormous boon to a couple big Florida-based companies: Jacksonville-based Blue Cross & Blue Shield, and Tampa-based WellCare.
The state is waiting on federal approval for its proposal to shift 1.5 million Medicaid recipients into privately-run managed care plans.
While out-of-state companies aren’t frozen out, the new proposal would favor Florida-based ones.
The decision on which plans will be a choice for Medicaid patients in each part of the state will ultimately be made by the Agency for Health Care Administration. Each area of the state will have between two and 11 plans available.
Both WellCare and Blue Cross plan to seek to be part of the Medicaid system.
