Bill Summaries: Budget
“Budget policy at the federal, state, and local levels should promote economic growth and stability.” -AARP Public Policy Institute
HIGHLIGHTS
HB 5001 - General Appropriations Act 2018 and HB 5003 Implementing the 2018-2019 General Appropriations Act by House Appropriations Committee PASSED. The bills, respectively, are Chapters No. 2018-009-010 Laws of Florida, effective July 1, 2018. The Florida Legislature passed an $88.7 billion budget for fiscal year 2018-2019.
Impacts from the Appropriations Act Include:
Retroactive Medicaid Eligibility: The Agency for Health Care Administration (ACHA) will seek authorization from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to eliminate the current three month retroactive eligibility period, which allows payments to providers for Medicaid services for up to 90 days before service recipients apply for Medicaid. Eligibility will continue to begin the first day of the month in which a non-pregnant adult (21 or older) applies for Medicaid. Statewide Medicaid Managed Care Long Term Care (SMMC LTC): SMMC LTC will receive a funding increase of $397,707,837. The program is designed to provide LTC services to Medicaid-eligible adults with disabilities and elders who need nursing home level of care. Those services include adult day health care, assisted living, caregiver training, hospice, medical equipment, respite care and various therapies. Nursing homes: Nursing homes will receive a $127 million increase in Medicaid payments to assist with continuous quality improvement. An additional $9.8 million will go to help nursing homes transition to the Prospective Payment System (PPS) in October, 2018. Under PPS, nursing homes will receive a pre-determined rate, inclusive of all services, provided to Medicaid LTC residents. Home and Community Based Long-Term-Care Services (HCBS LTC): HCBS LTC service programs will receive a combined increase of $2,050,000 and provide for 340 additional slots. HCBS services such as Alzheimer’s Respite Care, Community Care for the Elderly and Home Care for the Elderly provide opportunities for beneficiaries to receive services in their own homes or communities rather than in institutional facilities. Gains for HCBS are meaningful; however, there will continue to be long waitlists and growing unmet needs for HCBS LTC services.
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