TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – December 28, 2023 – Today, the Agency for Health Care Administration highlighted efforts from this past year that provide robust, long-term support for Floridians’ health needs, including the state’s vulnerable populations. As a state, Florida has ample safeguards in place for families to help them achieve economic self-sufficiency and prosper in their health and beyond. The Agency continues to support Governor DeSantis’ bold vision for Florida’s health system, calling on all health care professionals, providers, and facilities to provide high-quality, transparent, and cost-effective care to all Floridians.
“I am very proud of our accomplishments this past year as we focused on implementing Governor DeSantis’ health care vision for Florida by providing more services to meet the health needs of Floridians, improving health quality, and providing choices for families and children while continuing to meet the needs of the state’s seniors and most vulnerable,” said Agency for Health Care Administration Secretary Jason Weida. “We continue to focus on increasing innovation and competition, empowering the patient to make more informed health care decisions by advancing our transparency measures.”
Key accomplishments by the Agency in 2023 include:
Maintaining Florida’s Strong Protections for Children
This past year, the Agency has worked to improve maternal health outcomes for women and secured new funding to improve access to high-quality care and additional behavioral health services for infants and children. The Framework for Freedom Budget included an additional $76 million to increase hospital rates for hospitals that care for acutely ill newborns and pediatric patients and an increase of $54 million for stand-alone children’s hospitals serving Medicaid patients. Additionally, $76 million was provided for pediatric physician rates.
Support for World Class Cancer Research and Care
Since 2018, more than $190 million has been dedicated to cancer research and care by Governor DeSantis. All individuals battling cancer deserve a fighting chance, and by supporting the work of our facilities, Floridians have that chance. Agency Secretary Jason Weida participates in the Cancer Connect Collaborative, an initiative spearheaded by First Lady Casey DeSantis that was born this year to break down the barriers to cancer innovation.
Implementing Ground-Breaking Reforms for Florida’s Prescription Drug Market
Governor DeSantis has worked with the Agency to reign in Pharmacy Benefit Managers, middlemen who previously had little regulation and would drive up the prices of prescription drugs. This year, the state helped to implement a bill that imposes transparency requirements for Pharmacy Benefit Managers, giving patients the freedom to choose which pharmacies work best for them and increasing affordability for prescriptions.
Supporting Our Allies in Israel
The Agency worked in conjunction with the Executive Office of the Governor to coordinate the donation of hospital equipment to be received at a Lakeland Warehouse and transported to the Israeli Hospital System. AHCA coordinated donations with 14 different providers who shipped a total of 2,748 requested supplies.
Protecting Floridians from Harmful Treatments and Surgeries
This year, the legislature passed protections for children and adults enrolled in Medicaid from experimental puberty blockers and surgeries. SB 254 – Treatments for Sex Reassignment codified permanent protections beyond the Agency’s administrative rule from 2022, which prohibited Florida Medicaid from covering these services.
Continuing the Mission of Transparency in Health Care
The development and redesign of Florida’s transparency web tools this past year has allowed Floridians to find facility-level pricing and quality information for their health care and pharmaceutical needs. By linking quality and price information, Floridians have a clearer picture to make more informed health care decisions.
Safeguarding Florida’s Health System
This year, the agency unveiled the cost of illegal immigrants on our health system for Fiscal Year 2020-2021, with a total cost of $312.9 million. This past year, we have worked to implement legislation requiring all hospitals that receive Medicaid funding in Florida to collect and submit this critical data, so we have the necessary tools to track these additional healthcare costs burdening our system from illegal aliens.
International Trade and Business Development
This year, the Agency for Health Care Administration and FloridaCommerce visited Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands as part of a trade and business development leadership mission. The mission was led by SelectFlorida and Secretary Weida to generate export opportunities for Florida companies, highlight Florida’s competitive edge in targeted industries and showcase Florida as a leading hub for international business owners looking to expand their operations.
The Agency for Health Care Administration is committed to better health care for all Floridians. The Agency administers Florida’s Medicaid program, licenses and regulates more than 48,000 health care facilities and 47 health plans, and publishes health care data and statistics at www.FloridaHealthFinder.gov. Additional information about Agency initiatives is available via Facebook (AHCAFlorida) and Twitter (@AHCA_FL).
