| 1 | A bill to be entitled |
| 2 | An act relating to the Florida Kidcare program; requiring |
| 3 | the Office of Program Policy Analysis and Government |
| 4 | Accountability to perform a study of the outreach efforts |
| 5 | of the Florida Kidcare program; providing requirements for |
| 6 | the study; requiring a report to the Legislature by a |
| 7 | 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 outreach efforts of the Florida Kidcare |
| 14 | program for uninsured children. As part of determining the |
| 15 | effectiveness of the program, OPPAGA shall examine the current |
| 16 | practices of the Social Services Estimating Conference, the |
| 17 | Department of Health, Children's Medical Services, the Agency |
| 18 | for Health Care Administration, the Department of Children and |
| 19 | Family Services, the Florida Healthy Kids Corporation, and the |
| 20 | Department of Education as they relate to determining |
| 21 | expenditures, coordinating with other related health programs at |
| 22 | the state and local levels to avoid duplication of effort and |
| 23 | promote consistency, providing services to children |
| 24 | participating in the Florida Kidcare program, making program |
| 25 | information available to all Florida parents of eligible |
| 26 | children, offering the services of the program to the target |
| 27 | population, determining eligibility, providing medical |
| 28 | assistance, and increasing enrollment in the Florida Kidcare |
| 29 | program. In addition, the report shall focus on local outreach |
| 30 | in counties where the program enrollment is atypically low. The |
| 31 | report shall examine how counties having higher enrollment |
| 32 | levels reach the intended population. If the report finds |
| 33 | deficiencies in the outreach process, the report shall provide |
| 34 | options for correcting those deficiencies and include the |
| 35 | projected cost of implementing those options. In conducting the |
| 36 | study, OPPAGA shall consult with the Department of Health and |
| 37 | the Department of Children and Family Services as well as other |
| 38 | interested entities that may offer experiences and perspectives |
| 39 | relevant to this area of research. The report shall be submitted |
| 40 | to the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of |
| 41 | Representatives by January 1, 2010. |
| 42 | Section 2. This act shall take effect upon becoming a law. |