Christine Jordan Sexton

Rick Scott signs controversial dental carve out bill

Published on March 24, 2016 in Statewide/Top Headlines by Christine Jordan Sexton

A contentious dental bill received a tepid OK from Gov. Rick Scott this week. Scott announced Wednesday he signed a bill (HB 819) that removes dental services from the list of minimum benefits under the state’s Medicaid managed care plans. It also calls on the Office of Program Policy Analysis & Government Accountability to study how effective managed care plans are at providing dental care. Unless lawmakers act to put dental care back on the list of requires services, the…

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Rick Scott’s office pulling IRS filings, making public records requests, to get hospital executives’ salaries

Published on July 1, 2015 in Statewide/Top Headlines by Christine Jordan Sexton

Gov. Rick Scott’s blue-ribbon commission on health care and hospital spending asked Florida hospitals in May to provide the state with information about the salaries and compensation packages of their top executives. Two months later, only four facilities have voluntarily provided that information, Agency for Health Care Administration Deputy Secretary Molly McKinstry told members of the Commission on Healthcare and Hospital Funding on Wednesday in Jacksonville. Commission Chairman Carlos Beruff acknowledged that there still is “a lot of missing information”…

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Healthcare agency closes three Medicaid offices

Published on June 30, 2015 in Statewide/Top Headlines by Christine Jordan Sexton

Three Medicaid field offices are closing June 30. The Agency for Health Care Administration is closing regional offices in Panama City, Alachua and West Palm. Combined, they have been processing fee for service claims, among other things, for 37 counties across the state. Medicaid providers who normally send fee for service claims to those field offices will use one of two other existing offices. Claims that are sent sent to the Panama City office must be sent to the Pensacola…

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New cancer center director wants to increase University of Florida’s research

Published on June 29, 2015 in Statewide/Top Headlines by Christine Jordan Sexton

Anticipating a bigger role in the fight against cancer in the coming years as Baby Boomers age, the University of Florida has hired a new director for its cancer center. Jonathan D. Licht, M.D., takes the reins at the University of Florida Health Cancer Center Oct. 1. An expert in blood cancers, Litcht brings with him a $2 million research portfolio that includes funding from the National Institutes of Health, the National Cancer Institute and the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.…

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Tom Lee says early LIP talk good for state

Published on June 25, 2015 in Statewide/Top Headlines by Christine Jordan Sexton

After six months of political jockeying, litigation, and one-upsmanship Florida and the federal government have agreed in principle to $1.6 billion in supplemental Medicaid funds over the next two years. Most of those funds, $1 billion, have been allocated in the budget Gov. Rick Scott signed into law on Tuesday. A little more than $600 million, though, still needs to be negotiated between Florida and the federal government. Which means, just because the special session is over, discussions over who gets…

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Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Burwell: ‘It’s time to move forward’

Published on June 25, 2015 in Statewide/Top Headlines by Christine Jordan Sexton

Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Burwell said it’s “time to move forward” now that the U.S. Supreme Court of the United States in a 6-3 ruling upheld tax subsidies for people who enroll in the federal healthcare exchange. “And I hope that this week’s Supreme Court decision will push us to do what I believe Americans want, which is to come together and focus on the substance and begin working to build an even better healthcare system.…

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U.S. Supreme Court decides King v. Burwell: ACA subsidies remain for all

Published on June 25, 2015 in Statewide/Top Headlines by Christine Jordan Sexton

In a major victory for the Obama administration, tax subsidies are available to all those who enroll in an Obamacare plan whether it was purchased through a state or federal health insurance exchange, the U.S. Supreme Court said in a 6-3 ruling, affirming the decision of the Fourth Circuit court. The decision in King v. Burwell would have jeopardized upward of 1.28 million people in Florida who signed up for health care through the federal exchange and received tax credits. King v. Burwell challenged…

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