Jason Brodeur files bill to enhance Medicaid oversight

Jason Brodeur's Medicaid-managed care program reform is at the end goal.

Lake Mary Republican Sen. Jason Brodeur has filed a bill (SB 1060) to establish a Joint Legislative Committee on Medicaid Oversight.

The committee would be within the Office of the Auditor General and would aim to ensure that Florida’s Medicaid program operates efficiently and transparently.

In May 2024, former Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody announced that two arrests had been made stemming from a billing scheme that had defrauded the Florida Medicaid program out of more than $1.6 million. Not only did prosecutors accuse the duo of defrauding the state’s Medicaid program, but they were also accused of hiring unlicensed medical staff that resulted in the poor treatment of Medicaid patients.

Brodeur’s bill aims to evaluate all aspects of the Medicaid program, identify and recommend policies to limit spending growth, improve health outcomes, and provide regular reports and recommendations to the Legislature.

The committee would be composed of three members from the Senate and three from the House, who would each serve a term of two years on the committee. The Chair and the Vice Chair would alternate between the House and Senate and serve a term of one year.

Duties would include all aspects of the state Medicaid program, with a focus on financing, quality of care, administrative functions and operational efficiency to ensure the program is providing transparency in the provision of health care plans and providers. Brodeur hopes this will enhance access to quality health services to Medicaid recipients while providing stability to the state’s budget.

The committee would also identify and recommend policies to Medicaid spending growth while improving health outcomes for patients using the program. The committee would convene at least twice a year, or as often as deemed necessary to conduct business, and the meetings would be able to be held electronically or through a teleconference.

The Auditor General and the Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA) would be responsible for entering a data sharing agreement by July 1, 2025. The Auditor General would assist the committee by providing professional staff or consulting services, while the committee would have access to relevant records and would be able to compel testimony and evidence.

AHCA would be required to notify the committee of any changes to Medicaid managed care capitation rates and submit reports detailing expenditure and utilization trends. All reports submitted to the Legislature related to Medicaid would be required to also be submitted to the committee.

If passed, the bill would come into effect upon becoming law.