Christine Jordan Sexton
Senate President Kathleen Passidomo’s proposal to fortify a network of providers, including dental hygienists and physicians, to prepare for the aging Baby Boomers who call the Sunshine State home has been sent to Gov. Ron DeSantis.
The Governor will have 15 days to sign the bill, veto it, or allow it to become law without his signature. However, in recent years, the Governor has had bills sent to him shortly before he acts.
Three bills account for over $1.27 billion in health care spending, with the largest appropriation ($717,105,294) reserved for SB 7016.
The bill earmarks $134.6 million to enhance hospital Medicaid reimbursement rates to support moms and babies during labor and delivery, $5 million for LINE and PIPELINE programs to strengthen health care workforce development partnerships, and $50 million for graduate medical education to expand Slots for Doctors, creating 500 new residency slots to address workforce shortages.
SB 330 allows up to nine facilities to earn the “behavioral teaching hospital” designation and qualify for the additional hundreds of millions in funds associated with the title. By designating behavioral health teaching hospitals, which would be required to be affiliated with state medical schools, the bill aims to fortify the state’s workforce as well as support a behavioral health education system. The bill appropriates $513 million for these new behavioral health teaching hospitals.
SB 1758 directs the Agency for Persons with Disabilities (APD) to offer waiver services to individuals on a waitlist — now called pre-enrollment — for iBudget services. The bill appropriates $38,852,223 in recurring funds for the program.
The bill also directs APD and the Agency for Health Care Administration, in consultation with other stakeholders, to jointly develop a comprehensive plan for the administration, finance, and delivery of home — and community-based services through a new Medicaid waiver program for these services.
The fourth bill (SB 7018) appropriates $50 million in nonrecurring funds to a health care innovation fund in the Fiscal Year 2024-25 budget and establishes in statute the Legislature’s intent to appropriate $50 million in nonrecurring funds for the next decade.
