Source: Health News Florida
A Congressional staff report raps Florida and seven other states for misuse of Medicaid stimulus funds that were supposed to create health-care jobs and help newly uninsured people get coverage. The report raises a question of whether Florida could be held accountable for paying back diverted money.
Florida Health Care Association, which represents the nursing-home industry, is circulating the report to the media in hopes of catching the attention of the Legislature and forcing a change in the budget before it’s too late. The budget has to be finished by the end of this week if the session is to end on time.
In the Senate budget, nursing homes face a 3 percent cut, or $81 million, and in the House, a 2.5 percent cut, or $69 million. At the same time, FHCA says, legislators are taking $783 million of federal stimulus dollars designated for health care and redirecting them into other areas.
The staff report, “De-Targeting the Stimulus: States Diverting Medicaid Funds Away from Helping Poor, Protecting Health Care Jobs,” was released by the U.S. House Oversight and Government Reform Committee.
