Sunshine Health Rolling Out Florida's Medicaid, Child Welfare Programs to New Members

The launch of Floridas new Medicaid programs, the Statewide Managed Medical Assistance (MMA) and Child Welfare (CW) programs, continued Monday, with roll-outs in Regions 5, 6 and 8. The programs cover 14 Florida counties including Pasco, Pinellas and Hillsborough.

In a statement issued Monday, Sunshine Health, a subsidiary of Centene Corp., said it is responsible for coordinating health services for families, children and persons with disabilities in those regions under the MMA and Child Welfare programs.Sunshine Health, with offices in Tallahassee and South Florida, is the second largest company offering Medicaid services in Florida under the MMA and it is the only one providing that service statewide for child welfare and foster children.

The initial roll-out was launched in early May in Regions 2, 3 and 4 across multiple counties in the Panhandle, North Central and Northeast parts of the state.

Our members and new enrollees are our top priority," said Chris Paterson, CEO of Sunshine Health. "We remain committed to ensuring that they have all the information they need to make informed decisions about their health care.

"We want to assure enrollees that the state of Florida and our health plan have taken the steps necessary to ensure that all members receive seamless continuity of care during this transition period for their prescription medications, transportation and other health care services.

If new members of Sunshine Healths plan have questions beyond the information they were given at inception -- including programs and physicians in the region -- they can call 1-866-796-0530 or 1-800-955-8770 between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m.

New members under the MMA and/or Child Welfare programs who use transportation services should not experience any disruptions. Sunshine Health members or providers should call the company's transportation provider, TMS, at 866-201-9968 to confirm or schedule transportation.

Floridians in these counties who have automatically been assigned to the Sunshine Health plan by the Agency for Health Care Administration will have 90 days from the date of their enrollment to either remain in the plan or select another plan offered in their region by contacting the Florida Medicaid Choice Counseling Hotline at 1-877-711-3662 or 1-866-467-4970 (TDD).

For more information members can either visit Sunshine Health at www.sunshinehealth.com or by directly contacting a care coordinator:

Managed Medical Assistance: 1-866-796-0530; (TDD/TTY) 1-800-955-8770.

Child Welfare/Foster Care: 1-855-463-4100; (TDD/TTY) 1-800-955-8770.

Statewide Medicaid Managed Care Regions 5, 6 and 8 include the following counties and Sunshine Health programs:

Region 5: (MMA and Child Welfare) Pasco and Pinellas.

Region 6: (MMA and Child Welfare) Hardee, Highlands, Hillsborough, Manatee and Polk.

Region 8: (MMA and Child Welfare) Charlotte, Collier, DeSoto, Glades, Hendry, Lee and Sarasota.