Florida Senate - 2009                                     SB 338
       
       
       
       By Senator Wilson
       
       
       
       
       33-00087-09                                            2009338__
    1                        A bill to be entitled                      
    2         An act relating to the Kidcare; requiring the Office
    3         of Program Policy Analysis and Government
    4         Accountability to perform a study of the outreach
    5         efforts of the Kidcare program; providing requirements
    6         for the study; requiring a report to the Legislature
    7         by a specified date; providing an effective date.
    8         
    9  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
   10         
   11         Section 1. The Office of Program Policy Analysis and
   12  Government Accountability (OPPAGA) shall perform a study of the
   13  effectiveness of the Kidcare outreach program for uninsured
   14  children. As part of determining the effectiveness of the
   15  program, OPPAGA shall examine the current practices of the
   16  Social Services Estimating Conference, the Department of Health,
   17  Children's Medical Services, the Agency for Health Care
   18  Administration, the Department of Children and Family Services,
   19  the Florida Healthy Kids Corporation, and the Department of
   20  Education as they relate to determining expenditures,
   21  coordinating with other related health programs at the state and
   22  local levels to avoid duplication of effort and promote
   23  consistency, providing services to children participating in the
   24  Florida Kidcare program, making program information available to
   25  all Florida parents of eligible children, offering the services
   26  of the program to the target population, determining
   27  eligibility, providing medical assistance, and increasing
   28  enrollment in the Kidcare program. In addition, the report shall
   29  focus on local outreach in counties where the program enrollment
   30  is atypically low. The report shall examine how counties having
   31  higher enrollment levels reach the intended population. If the
   32  report finds deficiencies in the outreach process, the report
   33  shall provide options for correcting those deficiencies and
   34  include the projected cost of implementing those options. In
   35  conducting the study, OPPAGA shall consult with the Department
   36  of Health and the Department of Children and Family Services as
   37  well as other interested entities that may offer experiences and
   38  perspectives relevant to this area of research. The report shall
   39  be submitted to the President of the Senate and the Speaker of
   40  the House of Representatives by January 1, 2010.
   41         Section 2. This act shall take effect upon becoming a law.