Florida Agency for Health Care Administration South Florida Medicare Managed Care Transition Public Meetings Scheduled for June 16; Series Begins In Tallahassee on June 10



Below, The Florida Current reports on Agency for Health Care Administration meetings that begin on June 10 in Tallahassee on the State of Florida's transition into Medicaid managed care.  Fort Lauderdale and Miami Gardens meetings take place on June 16; the West Palm Beach meeting is June 14.  The complete schedule is below.


Christine Jordan Sexton, 05/26/2011
www.thefloridacurrent.com

The Agency for Health Care Administration has scheduled 11 meetings across the state where the public can discuss the state's latest foray into Medicaid managed care.

The meetings begin June 10 in Tallahassee and culminate June 17 in Ft. Myers. A spate of cities -- including Florida's largest like Ft. Lauderdale, Miami, Jacksonville, Orlando and Tampa -- will also be sites of public meetings.

Florida CHAIN Executive Director Laura Goodhue said she wasn't familiar with the locations AHCA had identified for the meetings except for the meeting in Palm Beach which is located at the airport. Goodhue said that wasn't an ideal location for patients to show up to testify.

"Ideal locations would be along public bus routes and centrally located within a county," she said in an email.

"Community centers, libraries and schools would be a more logical choice and each county has social service advocates that could easily point out the best location," she said, adding "these meetings (must) be accessible to Medicaid recipients and their families and that would include accommodating persons with disabilities."

The Florida Legislature this session passed a major overhaul of the existing Medicaid program. If the federal government agrees, the state will place most Medicaid patients into managed care plans by 2014, which is when the large Medicaid expansions under the Affordable Care Act also take effect. The two bills were sent to Gov. Rick Scott earlier this week. Scott is expected to sign the bills.

AHCA is directed to submit any waiver it may need for the new Medicaid program to the federal government by August 1. Before the state submits a waiver it is required to hold the meetings and obtain public input.

Goodhue said she is hopeful that AHCA gives Medicaid patients the opportunity to speak. The meetings are scheduled for three hours. Agency for Health Care Administration Communications Director Michelle Dahnke said the format for the meetings will be identical: AHCA will make a presentation and then allow for public testimony. Goodhue said when AHCA held similar meetings last year as the state prepared to submit its extension request for the Medicaid 1115 waiver the agency made an hour presentation which left little time for people to speak. "The vast majority of time should be given to ask questions and to raise concerns, because it's a public hearing and not a presentation," Goodhue said.



AGENCY FOR HEALTH CARE ADMINISTRATIONMedicaid Managed Care Transition Public Meetings

DATE AND TIME: June 13, 2011 from 1:00pm ‐ 4:00pm CT
PLACE: City Hall, Hagler/Mason Auditorium 2nd floor, 222 W. Main St., Pensacola, FL 32502

DATE AND TIME: June 14, 2011 from 9:00 am – 12:00 pm
PLACE: Department of Children and Families, 5920 Arlington Expressway, Jacksonville, Florida  32211, Main Auditorium

DATE AND TIME: June 14, 2011 from 9:00 am ‐12:00 pm
PLACE: Hilton Palm Beach Airport, 150 Australian Avenue, West Palm Beach, FL 33406

DATE AND TIME: June 14, 2011 from 2:30 pm – 5:30 pm
PLACE: Alachua Regional Service Center, 14107 US Highway 441, Conf Rm 190‐A, Alachua, FL  32615

DATE AND TIME: June 15, 2011 from 9:00 am ‐12:00 pm
PLACE: Mary Grizzle Building, Rooms 136 & 137, 11351 Ulmerton Road, Largo, FL 33778‐1629

DATE AND TIME: June 16, 2011 from 9:00 am – 12:00 pm
PLACE: Florida Department of Transportation, Auditorium, 11201 N. McKinley Dr., Tampa, FL 33612

DATE AND TIME: June 16, 2011 from 9:00 am – 12:00 pm
PLACE: Marriott Fort Lauderdale North, 6650 North Andrews Avenue, Ft Lauderdale, FL 33309

DATE AND TIME: June 16, 2011 from 2:00pm – 5:00pm
PLACE: El Palacio, 21485 NW – 27th Avenue, Miami Gardens, FL 33056

DATE AND TIME: June 16, 2011 from 2:00 pm – 5:00 pm
PLACE: Medicaid Program Office, 400 West Robinson St., Hurston Building, Conference Rooms A&D – 1st Floor Orlando, FL 32801

DATE AND TIME: June 17, 2011 from 2:00 pm – 5:00 pm
PLACE: Joseph D’Alessandro Bldg., 2295 Victoria Avenue, Rm. 165, Fort Myers, FL 33901
Florida Medicaid meetings kick off June 10 in Tallahassee
DATE AND TIME: June 10, 2011 from 1:00 pm ‐ 4:00 pm
PLACE: Agency for Health Care Administration, Building 3, Conference Room A, 2727 Mahan Drive, Tallahassee, FL, 32308

3 comments:

  1. Hey, it was a nice post! Keep sharing such informative post. I also would be attending such an informative healthcare meeting that is going to be held soon at domestic meeting space San Francisco. Our entire clinic has been invited for this seminar.

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