On June 2, 2022, Governor DeSantis signed the “Freedom First Budget” for Fiscal Year 2022-2023 for the sole purpose of increasing the minimum wage for employees and independent contractors of Medicaid providers to at least $15.00 an hour. The Florida Legislature allocated over $600 million in funding to the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration (“AHCA”) to assist Medicaid providers with this new minimum wage requirement. Those funds will be applied to certain Medicaid fee-for-service (FFS) reimbursement fee schedules and managed care rates.
The new bill (HB 5001 - General Appropriations Act) requires that AHCA enter into a Supplemental Minimum Wage Agreement (the “Agreement”) with each affected Medicaid provider no later than October 1, 2022. Under the Agreement, the provider will attest under penalty of perjury that every employee of the Medicaid provider, as of October 1, 2022, will be paid at least fifteen dollars ($15) per hour. While the Agreement makes reference to “every employee of the Medical provider,” AHCA has clarified that for all providers other than nursing home providers, this new wage requirement will only apply to direct care employees. In addition, note that the new wage requirement will apply to both employees and independent contractors.
AHCA has defined a Direct Care Worker as an individual that has direct contact with a Medicaid recipient for purposes of providing a Medicaid reimbursable...
Somerset Council said it is seeing more online material, including edited images and posts, which does not always accurately reflect council decisions or the full context behind them. A spokespers...