State Sen. Joe Negron, R-Palm City, today offered a preview of his Medicaid reform bill, which will be unveiled in full Thursday morning.
Part of the bill will lay out what Florida will do if the federal government decides not to grant a waiver allowing all the reforms to go through — which could cause the state to forgo tens of billions of dollars because the federal government funds more than half of the $22 billion programs.
If the waiver application is denied, Negron said the bill will allow the state to “prioritize those who are most vulnerable,” allowing the state to “operate our Medicaid program with our resources.” He also said he didn’t think it will come to that.
He said the state plans to give the federal government “100 reasons” to justify the state’s plan, which includes shifting patients into a managed-care system to put a cap on costs and eliminating some “optional” services such as dental and vision care, and increasing payments to doctors. Not all of those components require federal permission.
“We’re never going to abandon our commitment to our most vulnerable citizens, and I don’t think Washington will either,” he said.
