SB 2512 Summary

• Creates the Florida Health Insurance Affordability Exchange Program (FHIX) as a new marketplace for low-income uninsured residents to purchase health benefits coverage, with implementation in three phases beginning July 1, 2015, including mandatory work or educational requirements for participants.

• Modifies the Statewide Medicaid Residency Program by changing the annual allocation cap from a fixed $50,000 per FTE resident to 2 times the average per FTE resident amount, and creates a new Graduate Medical Education Startup Bonus Program providing $100,000 bonuses for newly created resident positions in physician specialties with statewide supply/demand deficits.

• Replaces prior provisions authorizing agency receipt of funds from state and local entities with new authority to receive intergovernmental transfers and requires the agency to seek Medicaid waiver authority for using local intergovernmental transfers for provider reimbursement enhancement.

• Suspends new enrollment in the Medically Needy program effective October 1, 2015, limiting eligibility to children under age 21 and pregnant women, with the subsection expiring October 1, 2019.

• Reorganizes the Florida Healthy Kids Corporation board structure, removes the Chief Financial Officer as automatic chair, requires Senate confirmation of board chair and appointees, and establishes transition plans for moving Florida Healthy Kids enrollees to the FHIX marketplace by September 30, 2016.