State Senator Don Gaetz (R-Niceville) stopped by the Inweekly offices and reported that the federal government this morning has offered to fund $1 billion for the Low Income Pool for Florida.
“However, the funds do come with conditions,” said Gaetz, “One of which will be the dollars will follow the patient.”
The senator said lawmakers will still have to come up with $1.2 billion to “fill the hole” left by the federal government not completely funding the $2.2 billion program. He said, “We will have to backfill the budget, which could mean less for education, court system and other programs.”
He said that the shift in having the LIP funds follow the patient through the health care system should be beneficial to Northwest Florida, since a disproportionate share of the LIP funding has been allocated to the south Florida in the past.