The Florida Health Care Association is a professional federation representing Florida's nursing homes and assisted living facilities, both proprietary and non-profit. There are approximately 700 nursing homes in Florida and approximately 82,000 licensed beds, of which 88 percent are occupied at any given time. There are approximately 2,500 licensed assisted living facilities and approximately 78,000 licensed ALF beds. Medicaid reimburses facilities for the care of more than two-thirds of all nursing home patients in Florida. Medicare pays for approximately 20 percent and private pay funds the remainder.
Federal statistics show nursing home care in Florida to be better than the national average.
Florida regulators are among the toughest in the country. Florida leads the nation in nursing home lawsuits because of a unique Florida law that applies only to nursing homes and ALFs. The law encourages litigation by providing lawyers with incentives to sue. Almost half of all Florida nursing home patients admitted are discharged to their own home after short stays in the facility. Nursing homes in Florida face a chronic shortage of workers including nurses and certified nursing assistants.