Fla. Stat. § 409.977 — Florida Code / Title XXX / Chapter 409 / Part IV / Section 409.977
409.977 Enrollment.
Status: in_force

(1) The agency shall automatically enroll into a managed care plan those Medicaid recipients who do not voluntarily choose a plan pursuant to s. 409.969. The agency shall automatically enroll recipients in plans that meet or exceed the performance or quality standards established pursuant to s. 409.967 and may not automatically enroll recipients in a plan that is deficient in those performance or quality standards. When a specialty plan is available to accommodate a specific condition or diagnosis of a recipient, the agency shall assign the recipient to that plan. Except as otherwise provided in this part, the agency may not engage in practices that are designed to favor one managed care plan over another.

(2) When automatically enrolling recipients in managed care plans, the agency shall automatically enroll based on the following criteria: (a) Whether the plan has sufficient network capacity to meet the needs of the recipients. (b) Whether the recipient has previously received services from one of the plan’s primary care providers. (c) Whether primary care providers in one plan are more geographically accessible to the recipient’s residence than those in other plans.

(3) A newborn of a mother enrolled in a plan at the time of the child’s birth shall be enrolled in the mother’s plan. Upon birth, such a newborn is deemed enrolled in the managed care plan, regardless of the administrative enrollment procedures, and the managed care plan is responsible for providing Medicaid services to the newborn. The mother may choose another plan for the newborn within 90 days after the child’s birth.

(4) The agency shall develop a process to enable a recipient with access to employer-sponsored health care coverage to opt out of all managed care plans and to use Medicaid financial assistance to pay for the recipient’s share of the cost in such employer-sponsored coverage. The agency shall also enable recipients with access to other insurance or related products providing access to health care services created pursuant to state law, including any product available under the Florida Health Choices Program, or any health exchange, to opt out. The amount of financial assistance provided for each recipient may not exceed the amount of the Medicaid premium that would have been paid to a managed care plan for that recipient. The agency shall require Medicaid recipients with access to employer-sponsored health care coverage to enroll in that coverage and use Medicaid financial assistance to pay for the recipient’s share of the cost for such coverage. The amount of financial assistance provided for each recipient may not exceed the amount of the Medicaid premium that would have been paid to a managed care plan for that recipient. The agency may exceed this amount for a high-cost patient if it determines it would be cost effective to do so. The agency shall annually, beginning June 30, 2026, submit an annual report on the program to the Legislature including, but not limited to, the level of participation; participant demographics, income levels, type of employer-based coverage, and amount of health care utilization; and a cost-effectiveness analysis both in the aggregate and on an individual patient basis.

(5) Specialty plans serving children in the care and custody of the department may serve such children as long as they remain in care, including those remaining in extended foster care pursuant to s. 39.6251, or are in subsidized adoption and continue to be eligible for Medicaid pursuant to s. 409.903, or are receiving guardianship assistance payments and continue to be eligible for Medicaid pursuant to s. 409.903.

History: s. 18, ch. 2011-134; s. 7, ch. 2015-79; s. 10, ch. 2022-42; s. 18, ch. 2025-204.