THE NEWS SERVICE OF FLORIDA: Medicaid money on hold as agency reviews rules
Mar 17, 2009
Agency for Health Care Administration Secretary Holly Benson said Tuesday during a meeting on federal stimulus implementation that it’s not clear if the agency needs legislative approval to spend more than $800 million that the state is getting as a result of an increase in the federal Medicaid share that’s part of the stimulus package.
Benson, a former state legislator, told Gov. Charlie Crist that AHCA has $817 million “available” to spend in the Medicaid program.
“What we’re trying to figure out is if we have to go back to the Legislature for spending authority to spend it now, or if we can find some other way to get authority to spend it,” Benson said.