Gov. Rick Scott’s newly created panel on health-care funding is scheduled to spend 90 minutes next week receiving overviews of issues such as hospital financial data, the Low Income Pool and what is known as the “certificate of need” process, according to an agenda posted on the governor’s website.
The Commission on Healthcare and Hospital Funding will meet from 1-5 p.m. Wednesday at the Agency for Health Care Administration in Tallahassee. Part of the committee’s initial meeting will be taken up by issues such as an overview of Sunshine Law requirements and a review of Scott’s executive order that created the panel.
Scott has requested that hospitals and insurers provide a wide range of data to the commission. The Low Income Pool program, which sends money to hospitals and other health providers that care for large numbers of uninsured patients, likely will be a key topic. The $2.2 billion program is scheduled to expire June 30, unless the state and federal government can agree on an extension. Uncertainty about the program plays a major role in a budget impasse between the House and Senate.
The certificate-of-need issue also could be controversial. The state regulates the addition of new health-care facilities, such as hospitals and nursing homes, through determining whether they meet requirements for certificates of need. The agenda indicates commission members will have 45 minutes to discuss the executive order’s requirements. Also, 20 minutes have been set aside for public comments.
-source: The News Service of Florida
