Latest news with #FloridaAgencyforHealthCareAdministration
Yahoo
05-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Federal judge dismisses lawsuit over medicaid oversight but allows amended complaint
A federal judge this week dismissed a lawsuit alleging the state failed to provide adequate oversight of Medicaid managed-care plans that care for people in their homes, but he gave plaintiffs three weeks to file an amended complaint. The lawsuit, filed in September on behalf of five adults with disabilities such as quadriplegia, Alzheimer's disease and debilitating genetic disorders, contends managed-care plans have not provided adequate information about decisions to reduce or deny services. Also, it contends a Florida Agency for Health Care Administration hearing process for appeals does not hold the plans accountable. But, siding with the state agency, U.S. District Judge Robert Hinkle's ruling said the plaintiffs lacked legal standing because none of them alleged they are not receiving services they need or are facing a reduction or denial of services. Hinkle gave the plaintiffs until April 24 to file an amended lawsuit and instructed them to 'address head-on the lack of a concrete, imminent injury to the plaintiffs themselves that is traceable to' the state health-care agency. The lawsuit alleged that notices sent to plaintiffs about benefits did not include enough information, failed to include policies or were received late. 'But none of the plaintiffs are currently facing a reduction in benefits. It is speculative that any plaintiff will face a reduction or denial of benefits in the future. It is even more speculative that the various issues they experienced in the past related to the notices will recur. Moreover, even in the past instances where the notices were allegedly insufficient, the plaintiffs for the most part ultimately succeeded in challenging the reduction or denial either before the plan or before AHCA,' Hinkle wrote in the 18-page ruling Wednesday. In addition, the judge said 'the issues with the notices are not traceable' to the state agency, which has contracts with the managed-care providers requiring that their plans comply with federal law. The plaintiffs also alleged that benefits were reduced while the review process was ongoing, which the secretary of the agency acknowledged 'is not supposed to happen,' Hinkle wrote. 'There apparently is no nonspeculative basis to believe it will happen again,' the judge wrote, adding 'there is also no reason to believe' the issue was traceable to the agency. Click here to download our free news, weather and smart TV apps. And click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live.
Yahoo
12-03-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
FL spent $660M on healthcare for illegals as hospitals ordered to verify legal status, report shows
New data collected by the state of Florida shows that illegal immigrants cost the Sunshine State's healthcare system nearly $660 million in 2024. The Florida Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA) announced the latest update to its Hospital Patient Immigration Status Dashboard Tuesday, which records the total number of hospital admissions and emergency room visits based on a patient's immigration status. The data for 2024 showed a total of 67,700 emergency room visits were made by patients who illegally entered the country, leading to roughly $76.6 million in Medicaid payments for their emergency care. In total, the state paid nearly $660 million for the cost of care provided to immigrants inside the U.S. illegally. Probation Reform Modeled After Jay-z, Desantis Efforts Primed For Passage In Va "The Agency remains dedicated to fulfilling Governor Desantis' commitment to protecting taxpayer dollars from being used on individuals who are not lawfully present in the United States," AHCA Deputy Secretary Kim Smoak said. Read On The Fox News App "The data confirms that the financial burden of illegal immigration continues to strain Florida's healthcare system. We will continue working to ensure that hospitals and healthcare providers deliver quality services to U.S. citizens." The county paying the most, according to the AHCA dashboard, is Miami-Dade County, which forked over $282 million to pay for the health services of illegal immigrants in 2024. Neighboring Broward County – anchored by Fort Lauderdale – clocked in at $77 million, Hillsborough County (Tampa) at $64 million, Orange County (Orlando) at $38 million and Duval County (Jacksonville) at $34 million. Several counties, particularly around the Big Bend region, do not have any hospitals, so they did not have any costs to report. Desantis Cites 'Gulf Of America' In Winter Storm Order In First Notation Of Trump Rebranding Meanwhile, some major hospitals reportedly saw a large proportion of their ER patients refuse to answer the citizenship question outright. Nearly two-thirds of patients seen at Tampa General Hospital-Spring Hill declined to answer in the first three months of 2024, according to the Tallahassee Democrat. Similarly, near St. Augustine, Flagler Hospital reported 96% of its 36,000 ER patients declined to notate on the citizenship question, the paper reported. In 2024, Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a law as part of his crackdown on illegal immigration in the Sunshine State that presented an immigration question to patients at hospitals that accept Medicaid. While they are not forced to answer it, the move led to a 54% decline in Medicaid billings to a state program for undocumented immigrants' medical assistance, according to Politico. State Rep. Randy Fine, R-Melbourne, who co-sponsored the immigration legislation package that led to hospitals cataloging such data, said last year $500 million had been spent on healthcare for "people who should not be in the United States." "That's half a billion dollars stolen from real Floridians," he told WLRN. In January, President Donald Trump also removed hospitals from a list of places immune to ICE article source: FL spent $660M on healthcare for illegals as hospitals ordered to verify legal status, report shows
Fox News
12-03-2025
- Health
- Fox News
FL spent $660M on healthcare for illegals as hospitals ordered to verify legal status, report shows
New data collected by the state of Florida shows that illegal immigrants cost the Sunshine State's healthcare system nearly $660 million in 2024. The Florida Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA) announced the latest update to its Hospital Patient Immigration Status Dashboard Tuesday, which records the total number of hospital admissions and emergency room visits based on a patient's immigration status. The data for 2024 showed a total of 67,700 emergency room visits were made by patients who illegally entered the country, leading to roughly $76.6 million in Medicaid payments for their emergency care. In total, the state paid nearly $660 million for the cost of care provided to immigrants inside the U.S. illegally. "The Agency remains dedicated to fulfilling Governor Desantis' commitment to protecting taxpayer dollars from being used on individuals who are not lawfully present in the United States," AHCA Deputy Secretary Kim Smoak said. "The data confirms that the financial burden of illegal immigration continues to strain Florida's healthcare system. We will continue working to ensure that hospitals and healthcare providers deliver quality services to U.S. citizens." The county paying the most, according to the AHCA dashboard, is Miami-Dade County, which forked over $282 million to pay for the health services of illegal immigrants in 2024. Neighboring Broward County – anchored by Fort Lauderdale – clocked in at $77 million, Hillsborough County (Tampa) at $64 million, Orange County (Orlando) at $38 million and Duval County (Jacksonville) at $34 million. Several counties, particularly around the Big Bend region, do not have any hospitals, so they did not have any costs to report. Meanwhile, some major hospitals reportedly saw a large proportion of their ER patients refuse to answer the citizenship question outright. Nearly two-thirds of patients seen at Tampa General Hospital-Spring Hill declined to answer in the first three months of 2024, according to the Tallahassee Democrat. Similarly, near St. Augustine, Flagler Hospital reported 96% of its 36,000 ER patients declined to notate on the citizenship question, the paper reported. In 2024, Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a law as part of his crackdown on illegal immigration in the Sunshine State that presented an immigration question to patients at hospitals that accept Medicaid. While they are not forced to answer it, the move led to a 54% decline in Medicaid billings to a state program for undocumented immigrants' medical assistance, according to Politico. State Rep. Randy Fine, R-Melbourne, who co-sponsored the immigration legislation package that led to hospitals cataloging such data, said last year $500 million had been spent on healthcare for "people who should not be in the United States." "That's half a billion dollars stolen from real Floridians," he told WLRN. In January, President Donald Trump also removed hospitals from a list of places immune to ICE activity.
Yahoo
14-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Florida saw 28% fewer abortions in 2024 under the state's six-week ban
Abortion procedures in Florida saw a significant drop last year according to new data from the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration. With 60,755 abortions statewide in 2024, the total number of procedures dropped nearly 28 percent compared to 2023. In Duval County, the drop was even bigger, with roughly 31 percent fewer abortions. >>> STREAM ACTION NEWS JAX LIVE <<< The new statistics reveal the impact of Florida's six-week abortion ban, which was cleared by the state supreme court last spring. The ban includes limited exceptions up to 15 weeks for victims of rape, incest, and human trafficking and further exceptions for fatal fetal abnormalities and to protect the life of the mother. State Representative Anna Eskamani (D-Orlando) argued many of those exceptions don't work in practice. 'We've already heard horror stories of women, even those who have ectopic pregnancies, where doctors are not comfortable providing an abortion,' said Eskamani. [DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks] Action News Jax asked Governor Ron DeSantis what he thought of new stats and whether further restrictions could be on the horizon. He didn't comment on the possibility of future legislation, but he touted the decrease as a success. 'Look, we've been able to save lives, and you know that matters to a lot of people. It may not matter to everyone right now, but it matters to me,' said DeSantis. Eskamani argued in many cases, women are simply forced to travel out of state to access the procedures. [SIGN UP: Action News Jax Daily Headlines Newsletter] However, added resources intended to help women travel for procedures are being stretched thin due to increased demand. 'So, the situation is very unsettling and that's why we support a full repeal of the near total abortion ban and we really do want to make sure that women can make these decisions without political interference,' said Eskamani. Eskamani said Democrats plan to file a full repeal of the six-week ban in the upcoming session. While DeSantis hasn't called for further abortion restrictions, he has called on lawmakers to impose new restrictions on the citizen initiative process. That could make it more difficult to get abortion rights proposals, like last year's Amendment 4, on future ballots. Click here to download the free Action News Jax news and weather apps, click here to download the Action News Jax Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Action News Jax live.
