Fla. Stat. § 409.2673 — Florida Code / Title XXX / Chapter 409 / Part I / Section 409.2673
409.2673 Shared county and state health care program for low-income persons.
Status: in_force

(1) It is the policy of the state that the state and local governments have a joint obligation, as provided in this section, to participate in the provision of health care services to low-income persons who do not meet the criteria for Medicaid or any other state-funded or federally funded program which includes hospital care.

(2) A shared county and state program is established to provide inpatient hospital services and, at the option of the county, outpatient hospital services and physician specialty services for hospital care, including out-of-county inpatient hospital services to single adults under the age of 65, childless couples, and parents in intact families with incomes up to 100 percent of the federal poverty income guidelines who do not meet the criteria for Medicaid or any other state-funded or federally funded inpatient health care program; who have insufficient third-party insurance coverage; who do not live in public institutions, as defined in the medical assistance program for the needy under Title XIX of the Social Security Act, as amended; and who are United States citizens or lawfully admitted aliens. This program is intended to serve as the payor of last resort.

(3)(a) County participation in this program is optional. (b) Beginning October 1, 1991, county participation in this program shall be mandatory.

(4) The levels of financial participation by counties and the state for this program shall be determined as follows: (a) If on July 1, 1988, a county funded inpatient hospital services for those who would have been eligible for the program, the county shall fund 35 percent of the cost of this program and the state shall provide the remaining 65 percent of the funding required for this program. A county participating at this level shall use that portion of its budget that previously would have funded these inpatient hospital services and that, under this program, has been offset by state funding for funding other health programs. (b) If a county has not reached its maximum ad valorem millage rate as authorized by law and certified to the Department of Revenue and the county does not currently fund inpatient hospital services for those who would be eligible for this program, the county: 1. Shall provide 35 percent of the cost for this program from within the county’s existing budget, and the state shall provide the remaining 65 percent of the funding required for this program; however, under no circumstances will county funding which had been used for funding the county health department under chapter 154 be utilized for funding the county’s portion of this program; or 2. Shall levy an additional ad valorem millage to fund the county’s portion of this program. The state shall provide the remaining portion of program funding if: a. A county levies additional ad valorem millage up to the maximum authorized by law and certified to the Department of Revenue and still does not have sufficient funds to meet its 35 percent of the funding of this program; and b. A county has exhausted all revenue sources which can statutorily be used as possible funding sources for this program. (c) A county will be eligible for 100-percent state funding of this program if: 1. On July 1, 1988, the county did not fund inpatient hospital services for those who would have been eligible for this program; 2. The county has reached its maximum ad valorem millage as authorized by law and certified to the Department of Revenue; and 3. The county has exhausted all revenue sources which can statutorily be used as possible funding sources for this program. Reporting forms specifically designed to capture the information necessary to determine the above levels of participation will be developed as part of the joint rulemaking required for the shared county and state program. For purposes of this program, the counties will be required to report necessary information to the Department of Financial Services.

(5) Under no circumstances shall any county receive more than 15 percent of the total state appropriation during any fiscal year from the state for the state’s share of the funding for the shared county and state program.

(6)(a) If, during the course of any fiscal year the state’s specific appropriation for this program is depleted, the program will cease to operate for the remainder of that fiscal year. When state dollars are depleted, county obligations cease. A county is not liable for funding without appropriate state matching funds. (b) If, during the course of any fiscal year the county’s specific appropriation for this program is depleted, the program will cease to operate in that county for the remainder of that fiscal year. When county dollars are depleted, state obligations cease. The state is not liable for funding without appropriate county matching funds. (c) The state’s portion of the funding shall be made available from the Public Medical Assistance Trust Fund.

(7) A county that participates in the program at any level may not reduce its total per capita expenditures being devoted to health care if any of these funds were previously utilized for the provision of inpatient hospital services to those persons made eligible for the shared county and state program. It is the intent of the Legislature that, as a result of the shared county and state program, local funds which were previously used for the provision of inpatient hospital services to persons made eligible by the program be used by counties for funding other health care programs which, for purposes of this section, are health expenditures as reported annually to the Department of Financial Services pursuant to s. 218.32, provided that this subsection does not apply to reductions in county funding resulting from the expiration of special sales taxes levied pursuant to chapter 84-373, Laws of Florida.

(8)(a) For those counties contributing funding to the shared county and state program, the county has the first right of refusal in deciding if it will be responsible for making eligibility determinations required as part of the shared county and state program if the state is contributing 80 percent or less of program funding. If a county declines the eligibility determination function, such determinations shall be made by the department. (b) In those counties where the shared county and state program is 80 percent or more funded by the state, the department shall be responsible for making eligibility determinations required as part of the program. (c) When eligibility is determined by the county, the county must determine whether the individual is receiving services under the primary care program operated by the county’s health department. If the individual is receiving such services, the county shall accept any verification of residency or indigency in the primary care case record that meets the criteria described in the administrative rules governing the shared county and state health care program.

(9) Each county shall designate a lead agency under the shared county and state program. The lead agency: (a) May be any agency of the county, the county health department, or any other public or private nonprofit agency designated by the board of county commissioners. (b) Shall serve as the overall coordinator of the program and establish a coordinated system to identify clients in this program, other county programs, private programs, and the primary care program established in s. 154.011. (c) Shall establish working relationships with appropriate hospitals for the acceptance of individuals determined eligible under the program. (d) Shall negotiate reimbursement rates and, at the option of the county, negotiate with appropriate hospitals the number of days of care provided under the program. (e) Shall negotiate, at the option of the county, prepaid reimbursement plans with appropriate hospitals. (f) Shall coordinate and develop, to the extent possible, health care programs for indigent county residents.

(10) Under the shared county and state program, reimbursement to a hospital for services for an eligible person must: (a) Be at a reimbursement rate which is negotiated by the lead agency but which does not exceed the hospital’s per diem reimbursement rate in effect at the time of service delivery for the hospital under the medical assistance program for the needy under Title XIX of the Social Security Act, as amended; (b) Be limited to payment for 12 days of service per admission, not to exceed 45 days of service per county fiscal year; (c) Be conditioned on participation of the eligible person prior to hospitalization in a case-managed program of primary care and health care services which is coordinated by the lead agency or referral of the eligible person immediately subsequent to discharge from the hospital to the lead agency’s case-managed services. For purposes of this program, case-managed programs of primary care and other health care services are those operated by: 1. A state-funded county health department, a county health department primary care program, or a contractor whose primary care program is funded through a county health department; 2. A county-operated primary care program or a contractor whose primary care program is funded by or through a county governing authority; 3. A federally funded community or migrant primary health care center; or 4. A private physician or group of physicians who agree to work with the lead agency and other providers of primary care within the county in providing services to individuals enrolled in a countywide program of primary care; (d) Be conditioned, for public hospitals and hospital districts that deliver services as part of this program, on a commitment not to reduce the percentage of the hospital’s ad valorem tax dollars being devoted to health care for low-income persons if any of these funds were previously utilized for the provision of health care services to those persons made eligible for the shared county and state program. It is the intent of the Legislature that, as a result of the shared county and state program, funds that were previously utilized for the provision of health care services to persons made eligible by the program be used by public hospitals and hospital districts to expand their health care program capabilities for low-income persons; and (e) Be conditioned, for tax district hospitals that deliver services as part of this program, on the delivery of charity care, as defined in the rules of the Agency for Health Care Administration, which equals a minimum of 2.5 percent of the tax district hospital’s net revenues; however, those tax district hospitals which by virtue of the population within the geographic boundaries of the tax district cannot feasibly provide this level of charity care shall assure an “open door” policy to those residents of the geographic boundaries of the tax district who would otherwise be considered charity cases.

(11) For each person determined eligible for the shared county and state program, every effort must be made as part of the eligibility determination process to determine if any applicable third-party insurance coverage is available. A requirement for participation by the applicant in the shared county and state program shall be complete cooperation of each applicant in the eligibility review process. Failure of a potential program participant to provide necessary documentation and followup will result in program rejection.

(12) There is created the Shared County and State Program Trust Fund in the Treasury to be used by the Agency for Health Care Administration for the purpose of funding the state’s portion of the shared county and state program created pursuant to this section.

(13) There is created in each county the Shared County and State Program Trust Fund to be used by the county for reimbursing participating hospitals for the provision of services to those eligible for coverage by the shared county and state program created pursuant to this section. There shall be deposited into the trust fund county funds for the shared county and state program and the county’s share of state funds allocated for the shared county and state program. Any balance in the trust fund at the end of any fiscal year shall remain therein and shall be available for carrying out the provisions of this section.

(14) Any dispute among a county, the Agency for Health Care Administration, the department, or a participating hospital shall be resolved by order as provided in chapter 120. Hearings held under this subsection shall be conducted in the same manner as provided in ss. 120.569 and 120.57, except that the administrative law judge’s or hearing officer’s order constitutes final agency action. Cases filed under chapter 120 may combine all relevant disputes between parties.

History: ss. 26, 28, 29, ch. 88-294; s. 19, ch. 90-295; s. 61, ch. 91-282; s. 193, ch. 96-410; s. 198, ch. 97-101; s. 17, ch. 98-89; s. 55, ch. 2000-153; s. 445, ch. 2003-261.