FL H0265

Creates the Emergency Room Utilization Mitigation Behavioral Health Intervention Pilot Program by July 1, 2025, requiring the Agency for Health Care Administration and Department of Health to provide Medicaid coverage for nutrition-based behavioral health interventions targeting high-need recipients with diet-related diseases such as diabetes, cancer, obesity, and coronary artery disease

Requires 6-month interventions including health counseling by licensed social workers or health coaches, medical nutritional therapy by registered dietitians, nutrition education classes, and medically tailored groceries, produce prescriptions, or prepared meals prescribed by a physician or referred by a health care provider

Directs the agency to seek federal approval under Section 1115 of the Social Security Act for a 5-year demonstration project, including waivers to secure Title XIX Medicaid matching funds, and requires provider service networks to share at least 50% of emergency room savings with prescribing/referring health care providers

Allocates up to 15% of the pilot program budget to the Florida Health and Nutrition Coalition to establish the Florida Health and Nutrition Center of Excellence, an online research and best-practices repository operated in collaboration with UF/IFAS research evaluators

Mandates program evaluations reported to the agency and Legislature by July 1, 2027, and July 1, 2030, assessing health biomarker outcomes, nutrition intake, health equity, habit adoption, and nutrition insecurity, with the act taking effect July 1, 2024