Floridas Medicaid program, known for years as the Pac-Man of the state budget, could finally see comprehensive reform this year, with a bill expected to be filed in the Senate later this week.
Senate President Mike Haridopolos, R-Merritt Island, said Monday the bill is the end result of extensive public hearings on the issue, which were aimed at driving down the costs of a program that eats up nearly 30 percent of the state budget.
It really is going to try to move Medicaid in a new direction, which is going to be patient-centered and ask for more flexibility from Washington, Haridopolos said.
Details of the bill will be released later this week, but Haridopolos said the bill will look at giving patients more control over their health care and make a push for saving money by providing more primary and preventative care rather than emergency care. There will also be provisions for tort reform and expanding health care provider networks.
If youre a Medicaid provider, youre going to have to be more accountable, Haridopolos said.
Haridopolos said the Senate will be working closely with the House on the issue, and that Gov. Rick Scotts office is largely behind the legislation.
The basic concepts (Scotts) been very supportive of, he said.
Sen. Joe Negron, R-Stuart, chairman of the Senate Subcommittee on Health and Human Services Appropriation, has been leading the Medicaid reform charge, and said during a budget committee meeting last week that possible savings from health care reform could be used to provide added dollars to education spending.
But any savings provided by Medicaid reform could be at least more than a year away. Because Floridas Medicaid program is so large, with 2.9 million recipients, change to the system will be gradual rather than immediate.
I dont think were going to see huge savings the first year, because itll take a little while to implement, but you got to do it someday. You cant say, Well, it wont save us money this year, so were not going to do it, Haridopolos said.
Education reform is also on Haridopolos to-do list. Some senators have been nervous about the governors recommended education spending, which he suggested be cut by $700 per student -- savings derived largely from cutting out federal stimulus funds -- but are more enthusiastic about an education reform measure that will tie teacher pay to student performance.
The highly-charged political fight that was sparked by the controversy over last years attempt at education reform, Senate Bill 6, has led to a slower, more sober approach this year.
The Senate PreK-12 Education Committee got input from teachers last month and also heard from the Florida Education Association, the states largest teachers union, during public hearings on the issue. Teachers unions, however, are not likely to back the legislation that came out of the talks, Senate Bill 736, that does away with tenure for new-teacher hires. The bill passed unanimously through the education committee last week and goes before the education appropriations subcommittee Tuesday.
The most important element in education for me is teaching, and were creating a merit pay bill that rewards the teachers for doing their best jobs, Haridopolos said.
Scotts budget recommendation has gotten an overall tepid response from legislators, and even outright criticism from some lawmakers like Sen. Mike Fasano, R-New Port Richey, who called the governor's prison budget dead on arrival last week.
Scott wants to privatize some government functions like prisons and veterans homes that even fiscal conservatives are willing to fund with state money. He also proposes eliminating the Prescription Drug Monitoring Program, a database for doctors to review patients prescription records in an effort to prevent prescription drug abuse and crack down on pill mills.
Haridopolos said he and Scott are on the same page on the big issues, and played down the notion of tension between the governor and the Legislature over the budget.
Im not surprised by his budget. It's how he campaigned. This was his message, that he was really going to reduce the size and scope of government, Haridopolos said.
Reach Gray Rohrer at grohrer@sunshinestatenews.com or at (850) 727-0859.
