Staff Reports
Last Call – A prime-time read of what’s going down in Florida politics.
First Shot
Florida officials have accused the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services during the Biden administration of targeting red-state Medicaid programs.
Now, emails reviewed by Florida Politics show CMS ramped up its audit of Florida hours after Donald Trump’s election last year, lending credence to the allegations.
Tensions between CMS and Republican-controlled states emerged early in the Biden administration. In April 2021, the administration revoked Texas’ Section 1115 waiver extension, which provided the state Medicaid funding flexibility.
Texas sued CMS over the rescission, alleging the move was a politically motivated attempt to force Medicaid expansion. The U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas sharply criticized CMS’s justification for withholding payments from Texas as the litigation progressed.
Ultimately, CMS approved the state-directed payments and abandoned the waiver receipt gambit.
After the court defeat, CMS launched audits of Medicaid programs in Texas and two other Republican-led states — Florida and Missouri. According to emails obtained via public records requests, CMS conversed with outside consultants about leveraging approvals or funding of Medicaid programs for political purposes.
In one exchange with CMS personnel shortly before the Florida audit, former Obama administration official Cindy Mann cited a recent Florida Executive Order on immigration and suggested that changing the uncompensated care pool or otherwise restricting Medicaid funding for states and hospitals “would stop this sort of thing.”
The right latched onto the exchange, with Donald Trump Jr. saying on social media that Mann “weaponized Medicaid against red states like Florida.”
“Why?” he asked. “Because Florida requires hospitals to track patient immigration status.”
A dozen GOP members of Florida’s congressional delegation hit the same notes in a letter 12 to HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., arguing the emails “betray the political motivations at the heart of the campaign against Florida.”
While the audits were pending, CMS issued a sub-regulatory guidance document — an informational bulletin — attempting to cement its actions against Missouri, Texas and Florida. Texas sued CMS again after it was issued and a federal judge enjoined CMS from enforcing the bulletin interpretation, concluding that Texas was likely to succeed on the merits of its argument that the Social Security Act does not give CMS the authority it claimed.
In November, HHS’ Office of Inspector General acknowledged the seemingly inevitable and abandoned the Texas audit. CMS pressed on in Florida, however — shortly after Election Day last year, CMS informed the state’s Medicaid office that the audit would continue. Likewise, the threat it poses to key programs is as real under the current President as it was under his predecessor.
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The Florida Hospital Association is hosting its annual Hospital Days at Florida’s Capitol today and tomorrow, drawing in hospital leaders from across the Sunshine State.
“Hospital Days offers hospital leaders an opportunity to engage with lawmakers and advocate for meaningful legislative action to strengthen Florida’s health care delivery system as the demand for care continues to grow,” said Mary C. Mayhew, FHA’s president and CEO. “It’s important that legislators understand the complexities of hospital operations and the incredible care hospitals deliver to their communities daily.”
Throughout FHA’s two-day event, hospital leaders and government relations professionals will meet with lawmakers to advocate for statewide policies and investments that enhance access to high-quality health care.
The association’s 2025 Session priorities include the “Rural Renaissance” infrastructure package (SB 110/HB 1427), a centralized Medicaid provider credentialing proposal (SB 1236/HB 1109) and legislation to give health care providers added flexibility during declared emergencies.
FHA said through its and its members’ advocacy efforts, “the hospital industry has its pulse on improved access to a modern, sophisticated health care delivery system for Floridians and the state’s visitors.”
Evening Reads
—“CEOs are confused by Donald Trump trade war, deepening economic unease” via Jeff Stein and Isaac Arnsdorf of The Washington Post
—”Investors thought they had Trump figured out. They were wrong.” via Ben Casselman and Colby Smith of The New York Times
—”Wall Street fears Trump will wreck the soft landing” via Nick Timiraos of The Wall Street Journal
—”Will Wall Street turn on Trump — and Elon Musk?” via Nate Silver of the Silver Bulletin
—”Trump cries for Elon, blames ‘illegal’ liberal boycott for tanking Tesla” via Ryan Bort of Rolling Stone
—”Trump is running from his biggest health care success” via Dylan Scott of Vox
—”Byron Donalds wants to fix the insurance market. But Gov. Ron DeSantis says things are improving already” via A.G. Gancarski of Florida Politics
—”To honor Geraldine Thompson, Gov. DeSantis orders flags flown at half-staff” via Gabrielle Russon of Florida Politics
—”First Target. Now Florida budgets $20 million to sue other companies” via Scott Maxwell of the Orlando Sentinel
—”Miami Beach Mayor urges theater to cancel Oscar-winner he calls ‘hateful propaganda’” via Lauren Costantino of the Miami Herald
Quote of the Day
“I ain’t sorry to (DeSantis). I ain’t sorry to (Byron Donalds). I ain’t sorry to their f****** AG. I ain’t sorry to anybody, ’cause I ain’t lied. Everything I said, it is the f****** truth. I ain’t sorry. I’m not sorry for living my life as a full-grown man.”
— Little boy grown big Andrew Tate, throwing a tantrum.
Put it on the Tab
Look to your left, then look to your right. If you see one of these people at your happy hour haunt, flag down the bartender and put one of these on your tab. Recipes included, just in case the Cocktail Codex fell into the well.
Gov. Ron DeSantis’ latest EO earns him half of an American Flag … we trust he’ll pour out the other half in honor of the late Sen. Geraldine Thompson.
U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds says he wants to fix the insurance market, while the Governor says it’s already getting better. Somebody pour those two a Cordial Disagreement while the rest of us figure out how we’re going to pay our next premium.
There’s a 100% chance the meteorologist in your life could use a Cloudy With a Chance of Vodka after today’s gloomy rumors out of NOAA.
Breakthrough Insights
Tune In
College hoops conference tournaments tip-off
College basketball conference tournaments begin today, including in the ACC, Big 12 and SWAC.
Tonight, in the ACC tournament, Florida State faces Syracuse (7 p.m. ET, ACC Network) in what could be Seminoles’ head coach Leonard Hamilton’s last game. Hamilton, 76, is set to retire after the season. Luke Loucks was introduced on Monday as the program’s next head coach.
FSU (17-14, 8-12 ACC) does not have the resume to earn an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament, so the Seminoles’ only hope is to win the conference tournament and secure an automatic bid. FSU hosted Syracuse during the regular season, defeating the Orange 90-74 on Jan. 4.
Also tonight, UCF faces Utah in the opening round of the Big 12 Tournament in Kansas City (9:30 ET, ESPN+). The Knights (16-15, 7-13 Big 12) ended the regular season with nine losses in the last 12 games to fall to the 16th seed in the conference tournament. Like the Seminoles, UCF’s only chance to earn a spot in March Madness is to win the conference tournament.
In the SWAC, Florida A&M faces Prairie View tonight (8:30 p.m. ET, ESPN+). The Rattlers (13-16, 10-0 SWAC) earned the seventh seed in the tournament. The SWAC has never sent an at-large team to the NCAA Tournament, so FAMU must win the conference tournament to play in the Big Dance.
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Last Call is published by Peter Schorsch, assembled and edited by Phil Ammann and Drew Wilson, with contributions from the staff of Florida Politics.
