Federal officials this week granted a 30-day extension of Florida’s Medicaid pilot program, amid discussions about continuing the program for three more years.
The state Agency for Health Care Administration requested the extension last week, as the pilot was scheduled to expire June 30.
AHCA and federal Medicaid officials have been in long-running talks about continuing the program.
Victoria Wachino, an official with the federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, sent a letter to AHCA on Tuesday that granted the 30-day extension. In it, she wrote the federal government is looking “forward to working with you to finalize the (three-year) extension of the Florida Medicaid reform demonstration.”
The pilot started in 2006 and requires most Medicaid beneficiaries in Broward, Duval, Clay, Nassau and Baker counties to enroll in managed-care plans.
Also, it includes a $1 billion-a-year program, known as the Low Income Pool, that sends money to hospitals and other medical providers that serve large numbers of uninsured and low-income patients.
Apparently the LIP program is expected to end in December 2013, which could cost the providers up to $500 million. http://health.nsfblogs.com/?p=418