Only about one-third of Medicaid recipients transitioning into managed care statewide chose their own health insurance plans, according to state health officials. The rest were assigned to a health plan.
Enrollment for the general Medicaid population started in May and ended in August. Consumers received a letter in the mail two months before enrollment and were given at least 30 days to choose an insurance plan. Those who did not choose a plan were automatically enrolled into a plan by state health officials.
The Agency for Health Care Administration said 34 percent of Medicaid recipients chose their plan, while 66 percent were assigned one. But nearly half of the 66 percent who were automatically enrolled were assigned to a plan with which they had a prior relationship. Enrollees have 90 days after enrollment if they want to change to a different plan.
About 3 million Floridians are on Medicaid — more than half of whom are children.
Under Medicaid privatization, the state gives insurance companies a set amount of money each month to care for a patient, giving the insurer broad authority to care for the patients, including which doctors they can see and what treatments can be prescribed.
Critics worry the state is abdicating care of its most vulnerable residents to for-profit companies with little oversight of how the money is being spent and say there's little evidence that privatization will improve patient care or save money. But supporters, including Republican lawmakers, say it was a necessary move because the roughly $23 billion a year Medicaid bill was consuming the state budget. They say insurance companies can also better control costs by linking patients up with primary care doctors early on instead of treating them in more expensive settings like emergency rooms.
Fourteen insurance companies signed five-year contracts to provide services in the regular Medicaid program. Sunshine Health, Staywell and Prestige Health Choice have the largest presence statewide.
