Recently, the state Agency for Health Care Administration revealed its plans to award contracts to five health plans to participate in the Medicaid managed-care program. These contracts will amount to billions of dollars over the coming years and will have a significant impact on healthcare in the state. As of February, approximately 3.45 million individuals were already receiving health care through the managed-care system, as indicated on the agency’s website.
The five health plans that have been chosen for these contracts are Florida Community Care, Humana Medical Plan, Simply Healthcare Plans, Sunshine State Health Plan, and South Florida Community Care Network. According to a document posted on the agency’s website, Humana, Simply Healthcare, and Sunshine State Health Plan will receive statewide contracts, while the other two will have contracts in specific regions of the state. The contracting process has been ongoing for the past year, with 11 plans responding to an “invitation to negotiate” in an attempt to secure contracts.
The agency is mandated to go through a procurement process for these contracts every six years. Plans that do not receive contracts will have the option to file challenges. The announcement of these awards has raised questions about healthcare access and affordability in Florida and whether these new contracts will provide better coverage and care for Medicaid beneficiaries.