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Citrus County board approves hospital assessment to unlock Medicaid matching funds
Summary
Commissioners approved an annual local provider participation assessment to enable hospitals to capture federal matching dollars for Medicaid services; hospital officials said the assessment imposes no county taxpayer cost and will preserve local indigent-care funding.
The Citrus County Board of County Commissioners on June 23 approved an annual local hospital assessment intended to feed a Local Provider Participation Fund (LPPF) and capture federal matching dollars for Medicaid-directed payments. The board approved the item unanimously.
Suhail Charba, representing county hospitals, told commissioners that Florida does not provide general revenue for Medicaid the way some states do. Instead, hospitals front provider assessments to a county fund that is then used to draw federal matching dollars. Charba described the measure as necessary to preserve funding that supports local hospitals' care for Medicaid and indigent patients.
"Unlike the Californias and the New Yorks, Florida does not provide general revenue for Medicaid funding," Charba said. "What happens in Florida instead is these hospitals have to front their own dollars, which they then send to the county in the fund that is sent to AHCA. And AHCA applies federal matching funds. That's how these hospitals continue to serve the Medicaid population in your county."
Tampa General Health System Senior Vice President Steve Harris and HCA Crystal River CEO Lisa Noomi spoke in support of the assessment, telling the board it "costs the taxpayers of Citrus County nothing" and that without time-sensitive approval hospitals risk losing access to state-authorized federal matching funds. Staff said the assessment is annual under the county ordinance and must be approved each year.
Board action: A motion to approve the assessment (H3B and C on the agenda) passed 5-0. Staff noted the ordinance requires annual re-authorization and hospitals said a number of other jurisdictions across Florida were adopting similar measures before July 4.
Ending: County staff will administer the assessment and coordinate with hospitals and the Agency for Health Care Administration to place the funds into the LPPF and pursue federal matches. Hospital representatives asked the board to act promptly to avoid interrupting the flow of supplemental Medicaid funds to local safety-net services.
