Florida’s Medicaid costs look likely to grow by at least $300 million – on top of a $2 billion increase already looming next year, state analysts said Friday.
Final figures won’t be known until next week. And also still uncertain is what share of the state-federal program Florida lawmakers will have to meet with cash from tax collections.
“It is going to be more expensive than this year, clearly, but even more expensive than we thought the increase was going to be last summer,” said Amy Baker, executive director of the Legislature’s Office of Economic and Demographic Research.
The state’s Social Services Estimating Conference huddled Friday and attributed the boost to rising enrollment and a change in the level of federal contribution to the program. Medicaid is on track next year to demand almost $22 billion of the state’s $70 billion-plus budget.
The rising cost of health care for low-income Floridians is also fueling a state budget shortfall that Baker this week said could top $3 billion. The size of the budget gap should become more clear when state economists meet Tuesday to revise their revenue forecast. The increasing costs also are certain to add momentum to the Legislature’s efforts to overhaul the Medicaid program.
Steering more of Florida’s 2.7 million Medicaid recipients into managed care coverage is a priority of House and Senate leaders next spring.
The News Service of Florida
