Christine Jordan Sexton
In hopes of hanging on to a $2 billion pool of supplemental Medicaid dollars the state uses to help fund hospitals, federally qualified health centers, HMOs and other parts of Florida’s health care delivery system, the Senate late last week proposed a new plan that it hopes the federal government will approve.
So, just how much can hospitals expect to get under a redesigned Low Income Pool, or LIP formula? A spreadsheet released by the Senate late Friday that if the federal government approves the redesigned formula Jackson Memorial would receive $273 million; Shands Teaching Hospital and Clinic would earn $128.4 million; Shands Jacksonville would earn $107 million; Tampa General would take home $101 million; South Broward Hospital District would net $81.8 million and Orlando Health would get $71.6 million.
For more information on how hospitals would fare under the revisions look at Table 5.
The Low Income Pool is a $2 billion pot of supplemental federal dollars the state uses to help fund the Medicaid program. Counties and hospital taxing districts contribute the majority of the state dollars for the program, which are then matched by federal funds.
Florida was put on notice last year that the LIP program would not extended past June 30.Florida has been negotiating with the federal government in hopes of getting the LIP program extended for another two years. Deputy Secretary for Medicaid Justin Senior told Florida Politics he wants the program extended for another two years and would like for the federal government to approve $2 billion each year, or a total of $4 billion.
The House budget does not contain Low Income Pool dollars and House Appropriations Subcommittee on Health and Human Services Rep. Matt Hudson said he won’t include LIP money in the budget until Florida hears from the federal government as to the future of the LIP program.
Senior said he’d like to have a tentative agreement with the federal government by mid April so the Legislature can finalize its budget work.
