Sources have revealed that the post for which local state Rep. Holly Benson is competing is Secretary of the Agency for Health Care Administration (ACHA).
According to its website, ACHA “champions accessible, affordable, quality health care for all Floridians.” It manages the Medicaid system – the state/federal program that provides health coverage to low income families.
The current ACHA secretary is Christa Calamas who has served less than six months in the post (Jeb appointed her June 2006). Previously, she served as AHCA’s General Counsel, in addition to Assistant General Counsel for the Executive Office of the Governor.
Holly has served on the Health Care Appropriations FL House committee. She was in charge in the House of Gov. Bush’s failed attempt to revamp the state Medicard system in the 2005 legislative session. The Bush plan called for Medicaid to be replaced with a managed care system similar to private insurance. Patients’ benefits would have been capped, just like in private health plans. It’s goal was to stablize runaway Medicaid costs.
Instead the Legislature approved a watered down version that established pilot programs in Broward and Duval counties. The programs were launched in July 2006.
In House Speaker Rubio’s Better Ideas program, Holly took the lead on health care and wrote this column that was published in daily papers across the state (Read Here).
