Senate Bill sb2654

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    Florida Senate - 2006                                  SB 2654

    By Senator Hill





    1-1466B-06

  1                      A bill to be entitled

  2         An act relating to children's health insurance;

  3         creating s. 409.8195, F.S.; directing the

  4         Department of Health, in conjunction with the

  5         Department of Education, the Department of

  6         Children and Family Services, the Agency for

  7         Health Care Administration, the Florida Healthy

  8         Kids Corporation, local governments, employers,

  9         and others to develop a program concerning

10         identification and referral of children to the

11         Florida KidCare program; amending s. 409.908,

12         F.S.; providing for reimbursement of certain

13         physician and dental services under the

14         Medicaid program by the Agency for Health Care

15         Administration; amending s. 624.91, F.S.;

16         authorizing the Florida Healthy Kids

17         Corporation to enter into contracts with local

18         school boards or other agencies; providing an

19         effective date.

20  

21  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:

22  

23         Section 1.  Section 409.8195, Florida Statutes, is

24  created to read:

25         409.8195  Identification of low-income, uninsured

26  children; determination of eligibility for the Florida KidCare

27  program; alternative health care information.--The Department

28  of Health shall develop a program, in conjunction with the

29  Department of Education, the Department of Children and Family

30  Services, the Agency for Health Care Administration, the

31  Florida Healthy Kids Corporation, local governments,

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    Florida Senate - 2006                                  SB 2654
    1-1466B-06




 1  employers, and other stakeholders to identify low-income,

 2  uninsured children and, to the extent possible and subject to

 3  appropriation, refer them to the Department of Children and

 4  Family Services for the purpose of providing parents with

 5  information concerning the choices of health care benefits

 6  which are provided under the Florida KidCare program and for

 7  the purpose of determining eligibility for coverage. These

 8  activities shall include, but need not be limited to, training

 9  community providers in effective methods of outreach;

10  conducting public information campaigns designed to publicize

11  the Florida KidCare program, the eligibility requirements of

12  the program, and the procedures for enrolling in the program;

13  and maintaining public awareness of the Florida KidCare

14  program. Special emphasis shall be placed on identifying

15  minority children for referral to and participation in the

16  Florida KidCare program.

17         Section 2.  Paragraph (d) is added to subsection (12)

18  of section 409.908, Florida Statutes, to read:

19         409.908  Reimbursement of Medicaid providers.--Subject

20  to specific appropriations, the agency shall reimburse

21  Medicaid providers, in accordance with state and federal law,

22  according to methodologies set forth in the rules of the

23  agency and in policy manuals and handbooks incorporated by

24  reference therein.  These methodologies may include fee

25  schedules, reimbursement methods based on cost reporting,

26  negotiated fees, competitive bidding pursuant to s. 287.057,

27  and other mechanisms the agency considers efficient and

28  effective for purchasing services or goods on behalf of

29  recipients. If a provider is reimbursed based on cost

30  reporting and submits a cost report late and that cost report

31  would have been used to set a lower reimbursement rate for a

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    Florida Senate - 2006                                  SB 2654
    1-1466B-06




 1  rate semester, then the provider's rate for that semester

 2  shall be retroactively calculated using the new cost report,

 3  and full payment at the recalculated rate shall be effected

 4  retroactively. Medicare-granted extensions for filing cost

 5  reports, if applicable, shall also apply to Medicaid cost

 6  reports. Payment for Medicaid compensable services made on

 7  behalf of Medicaid eligible persons is subject to the

 8  availability of moneys and any limitations or directions

 9  provided for in the General Appropriations Act or chapter 216.

10  Further, nothing in this section shall be construed to prevent

11  or limit the agency from adjusting fees, reimbursement rates,

12  lengths of stay, number of visits, or number of services, or

13  making any other adjustments necessary to comply with the

14  availability of moneys and any limitations or directions

15  provided for in the General Appropriations Act, provided the

16  adjustment is consistent with legislative intent.

17         (12)

18         (d)  Notwithstanding any other provision of this

19  subsection, the agency shall provide reimbursement for

20  physician and dental services provided to children younger

21  than 21 years of age which is at least at the level provided

22  by federal law for reimbursing physicians for those services

23  under the Medicare program.

24         Section 3.  Paragraph (b) of subsection (5) of section

25  624.91, Florida Statutes, is amended, to read:

26         624.91  The Florida Healthy Kids Corporation Act.--

27         (5)  CORPORATION AUTHORIZATION, DUTIES, POWERS.--

28         (b)  The Florida Healthy Kids Corporation shall:

29         1.  Arrange for the collection of any family, local

30  contributions, or employer payment or premium, in an amount to

31  be determined by the board of directors, to provide for

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    Florida Senate - 2006                                  SB 2654
    1-1466B-06




 1  payment of premiums for comprehensive insurance coverage and

 2  for the actual or estimated administrative expenses.

 3         2.  Arrange for the collection of any voluntary

 4  contributions to provide for payment of premiums for children

 5  who are not eligible for medical assistance under Title XXI of

 6  the Social Security Act. Each fiscal year, the corporation

 7  shall establish a local match policy for the enrollment of

 8  non-Title-XXI-eligible children in the Healthy Kids program.

 9  By May 1 of each year, the corporation shall provide written

10  notification of the amount to be remitted to the corporation

11  for the following fiscal year under that policy. Local match

12  sources may include, but are not limited to, funds provided by

13  municipalities, counties, school boards, hospitals, health

14  care providers, charitable organizations, special taxing

15  districts, and private organizations. The minimum local match

16  cash contributions required each fiscal year and local match

17  credits shall be determined by the General Appropriations Act.

18  The corporation shall calculate a county's local match rate

19  based upon that county's percentage of the state's total

20  non-Title-XXI expenditures as reported in the corporation's

21  most recently audited financial statement. In awarding the

22  local match credits, the corporation may consider factors

23  including, but not limited to, population density, per capita

24  income, and existing child-health-related expenditures and

25  services.

26         3.  Subject to the provisions of s. 409.8134, accept

27  voluntary supplemental local match contributions that comply

28  with the requirements of Title XXI of the Social Security Act

29  for the purpose of providing additional coverage in

30  contributing counties under Title XXI.

31  

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    Florida Senate - 2006                                  SB 2654
    1-1466B-06




 1         4.  Establish the administrative and accounting

 2  procedures for the operation of the corporation.

 3         5.  Establish, with consultation from appropriate

 4  professional organizations, standards for preventive health

 5  services and providers and comprehensive insurance benefits

 6  appropriate to children, provided that such standards for

 7  rural areas shall not limit primary care providers to

 8  board-certified pediatricians.

 9         6.  Determine eligibility for children seeking to

10  participate in the Title XXI-funded components of the Florida

11  KidCare program consistent with the requirements specified in

12  s. 409.814, as well as the non-Title-XXI-eligible children as

13  provided in subsection (3).

14         7.  Establish procedures under which providers of local

15  match to, applicants to and participants in the program may

16  have grievances reviewed by an impartial body and reported to

17  the board of directors of the corporation.

18         8.  Establish participation criteria and, if

19  appropriate, contract with an authorized insurer, health

20  maintenance organization, or third-party administrator to

21  provide administrative services to the corporation.

22         9.  Establish enrollment criteria which shall include

23  penalties or waiting periods of not fewer than 60 days for

24  reinstatement of coverage upon voluntary cancellation for

25  nonpayment of family premiums.

26         10.  Contract with authorized insurers or any provider

27  of health care services, meeting standards established by the

28  corporation, for the provision of comprehensive insurance

29  coverage to participants. Such standards shall include

30  criteria under which the corporation may contract with more

31  than one provider of health care services in program sites.

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    Florida Senate - 2006                                  SB 2654
    1-1466B-06




 1  Health plans shall be selected through a competitive bid

 2  process. The Florida Healthy Kids Corporation shall purchase

 3  goods and services in the most cost-effective manner

 4  consistent with the delivery of quality medical care. The

 5  maximum administrative cost for a Florida Healthy Kids

 6  Corporation contract shall be 15 percent. For health care

 7  contracts, the minimum medical loss ratio for a Florida

 8  Healthy Kids Corporation contract shall be 85 percent. For

 9  dental contracts, the remaining compensation to be paid to the

10  authorized insurer or provider under a Florida Healthy Kids

11  Corporation contract shall be no less than an amount which is

12  85 percent of premium; to the extent any contract provision

13  does not provide for this minimum compensation, this section

14  shall prevail. The health plan selection criteria and scoring

15  system, and the scoring results, shall be available upon

16  request for inspection after the bids have been awarded.

17         11.  Establish disenrollment criteria in the event

18  local matching funds are insufficient to cover enrollments.

19         12.  Develop and implement a plan to publicize the

20  Florida Healthy Kids Corporation, the eligibility requirements

21  of the program, and the procedures for enrollment in the

22  program and to maintain public awareness of the corporation

23  and the program.

24         13.  Secure staff necessary to properly administer the

25  corporation. Staff costs shall be funded from state and local

26  matching funds and such other private or public funds as

27  become available. The board of directors shall determine the

28  number of staff members necessary to administer the

29  corporation.

30         14.  Provide a report annually to the Governor, Chief

31  Financial Officer, Commissioner of Education, Senate

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    Florida Senate - 2006                                  SB 2654
    1-1466B-06




 1  President, Speaker of the House of Representatives, and

 2  Minority Leaders of the Senate and the House of

 3  Representatives.

 4         15.  Establish benefit packages which conform to the

 5  provisions of the Florida KidCare program, as created in ss.

 6  409.810-409.820.

 7         16.  As appropriate, enter into contracts with local

 8  school boards or other agencies to provide onsite information,

 9  enrollment, and other services necessary to the operation of

10  the corporation.

11         Section 4.  This act shall take effect July 1, 2006.

12  

13            *****************************************

14                          SENATE SUMMARY

15    Directs the Department of Health, in conjunction with the
      Department of Education, the Department of Children and
16    Family Services, the Agency for Health Care
      Administration, the Florida Healthy Kids Corporation,
17    local governments, employers, and others to develop a
      program to identify and refer children to the Florida
18    KidCare program. Provides for reimbursement of certain
      physician and dental services under the Medicaid program.
19    Authorizes the Florida Healthy Kids Corporation to enter
      into contracts with local school boards or other
20    agencies.

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