Gov. DeSantis budget reroutes some health care spending, while decreasing overall

This image depicts in home medical services where healthcare professionals such as doctors and nurses visit seniors in the comfort of their own homes to provide care and support The image showcases

Certain health services could be trimmed down after Gov. Ron DeSantis announced his new budget proposal for Fiscal Year 2025-26, but others would get a boost.

The Governor’s budget recommendations for Health and Human Services focus on behavioral health, substance use issues, seniors and their caregivers, those with unique abilities, and survivors of human trafficking. There are also proposed increases in support for foster and adoptive families, with a goal geared toward supporting and assisting adoptive children’s transition into adulthood.

The new budget would provide more than $266.9 million for cancer research advancement, which includes $132.5 million earmarked for the Casey DeSantis Cancer Research Program, $60 million for the Florida Cancer Innovation Fund, and another $30 million for the launch of the Cancer Connect Collaborative Incubator — which focuses on pediatric cancer research.

DeSantis further proposed $36 million to increase access to obstetric care. More than $151.4 million would go to support behavioral health services, which includes $135.5 million to help support mental health treatment facilities in Florida, while $31.8 million would be earmarked for the continuation and expansion of the Coordinated Opioid Recovery Network. More than $114.2 million would be allocated to support children, foster families, and adoptive parents.

However, while cancer research and other initiatives would get a funding boost under the Governor’s proposed budget, some programs geared toward local community health initiatives could be taking a hit.

In the 2024 budget, health care was allocated a total of $4.28 billion — this year’s budget recommendations include a $458 million reduction in health spending to $3.8 billion, with some funding being rerouted from existing health care programs into new initiatives.

The Children’s Medical Services Program would get cut from a $399.6 million allocation in the current year’s budget, to $211.5 million — a $188.1 million reduction in proposed funding.

The Community Public Health Program would see an overall $260.8 million cut from $3.47 billion to $3.21 billion. Services within the program such as community health promotion, would be reduced by $478.6 million. Approximately $355.5 million would be shifted into Public Health Statistics and Innovation.

Funding for the local health needs of County Health Departments would be reduced from $1.23 billion to $1.22 billion, a $7.7 million difference, while the Disability Benefits Determination Program would see a $25.88 million cut, being pared down from $174.4 million in the current budget, to $148.6 million.

The Health Care Practitioner and Access Program would get a boost of just over $3 million, bouncing from $87.5 million to $90.6 million. Meanwhile, health care administrative support would get a budget increase of $13.1 million, climbing from $148.2 million in 2024, to $161.4 million.

DeSantis’ “Focus on Fiscal Responsibility Budget” appropriates $115.6 billion, $3 billion lower 2024’s budget.