A group of roughly two dozen leaders from the Big Bend will convene early next week in Tallahassee to discuss key challenges and opportunities facing Florida’s health care system.
Democratic Rep. Gallop Franklin will lead the event, the second in his “State of Health” roundtable series.
Fellow Tallahassee Democratic Rep. Allison Tant will be in attendance, according to an advisory for the event, which is to take place from 1-2:30 p.m. Monday.
The roundtable will feature executives and representatives from medical institutions, provider organizations, insurance companies, academic institutions and professional associations who will discuss health care access in the Sunshine State, including where there are gaps, what factors contribute to those gaps, and how to address them.
Franklin, a pharmacist in private life, is an appropriate host for the talk. This past Session, he successfully sponsored a measure (HB 1353) to provide regulatory relief to the home health care sector and expand Medicaid reimbursements to services ordered by advanced practice nurses and physician assistants.
Topics will include:
— How effectively Florida’s continuum of care supports patients across all stages of treatment.
— Key successes and persistent challenges in the state’s medical service delivery models.
— The vital role community health clinics play in reaching under-resourced and underserved populations.
— The current landscape and future potential of medical research in Florida.
— Anticipated impacts of potential federal funding shifts, including Medicaid reforms and block grant proposals.
During the first roundtable June 20, Gallop emphasized the urgency of examining those issues as economic forecasters project a budget shortfall for Florida that will grow to $6.9 billion by 2027.
Florida also faces a serious nursing shortage that government, education and industry leaders have been working to mitigate.
Participants at Monday’s discussion may also deliberate on underfunded health care services in rural areas like the Big Bend, where cuts to Medicaid would be especially harmful, according to the American Hospital Association.
Hospitals in Florida are reimbursed less than 60 cents on the dollar for the cost of care provided to Medicaid patients, and Medicaid reimbursements to Florida hospitals account for less than 4% of the overall state general revenue budget, the Florida Hospital Association found.
Monday’s event will run from 1-2:30 p.m. at the Apalachee Center, 2634 Capital Circle NE, in the main conference room on the first floor of Building J.
Contact Franklin’s office for more information.
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