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Home‑care providers warn of collapsing caregiver workforce, ask delegation to consider higher Medicaid reimbursements
Summary
Home‑based care advocates told the delegation that Medicaid reimbursement rates (~$19.87 per unit reported) are too low to retain home health aides, contributing to a labor shortage. Speakers asked lawmakers to increase reimbursements to keep patients at home and avoid institutional care.
Sean Schwing, representing Carian Home Care and the Home Care Association of Florida, told the delegation that the state is experiencing a severe shortage of home health aides because Medicaid managed‑care reimbursements paid to providers are too low to offer competitive wages. Schwing said the current reimbursement in the managed‑care program is about $19.87 per visit (as stated in his remarks), while the state is paying higher rates to parents providing care in home‑care programs (cited at about $25), creating a market distortion that makes private providers unable to recruit and retain caregivers.
He urged the delegation to consider increasing reimbursement rates to keep home‑based care viable, noting that home care saves state dollars by avoiding more expensive nursing home placement and supports patient choice. Schwing described training enrollment declines and difficulty attracting workers in Palm Beach County's higher cost market and asked delegation members to consider legislative or budgetary remedies.
No specific bill text or sponsor was presented during the hearing; providers sought follow‑up with delegation offices.
