Broward County adopts special assessment on private hospitals to secure federal Medicaid payments

The Broward County Commission voted unanimously to adopt a resolution setting fiscal year 2026 assessment rates and amounts for a non ad valorem special assessment on private hospitals to help finance supplemental payments under the Medicaid hospital-directed payment program and the Low Income Pool program.

The resolution, moved by Commissioner Uddin and seconded by Commissioner Fisher, passed with no recorded opposition. The clerk opened the public hearing and showed two registered speakers, Lorna Osborne and Ingrid Roberts, but both were not present when called. County staff and hospital representatives were in the chambers for the discussion.

Commissioner Rogers explained that the assessment is a pass-through charged only to private hospitals and is designed to provide a local match that allows those hospitals to draw down federal Medicaid funds earmarked to compensate providers for charity and low-income care. County staff noted Broward County adopted a hospital special assessment several years ago to enable this mechanism. The county said public hospital systems in the county—Broward Health (North Broward Hospital System) and Memorial Healthcare System (South Broward Hospital System)—draw down federal funds under different programs and were not part of this private-hospital assessment.

County staff and a county attorney thanked hospital partners and staff for assembling the item on short notice. Christina Price, who worked on the matter with county staff, and other hospital representatives were recognized for coordinating the required information. County staff said Broward has 11 private hospitals that will be assessed, citing examples such as Holy Cross and the HCA systems; the assessment is not levied on general taxpayers but is charged to the private hospitals that requested it.

The clerk read the title of the resolution into the record as: a resolution providing for fiscal year 2026 assessment rates and amounts for a non ad valorem special assessment on private hospitals in Broward County to help finance supplemental payments pursuant to the Medicaid hospital-directed payment program and the Low Income Pool program. After brief questions and administrative remarks, the mayor called the vote. "That passes unanimously," the mayor said when the board approved the measure.

The resolution had no amendments recorded in the meeting. County staff did not specify an effective date in the public discussion; implementation details and any administrative instructions were described as routine by staff and will proceed through the county's normal administrative channels.