Melanie Brown-Woofter, CEO of the Florida Behavioral Health Association, is focusing on the expansion of the Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic (CCBHC) model in the state. Demand for the model, which provides prospective payments to CCBHC providers, is already in place, with 15 grant awardees in place and at least 30 more providers that applied … Read more
Over 4.8 million Floridians enrolled in Medicare will benefit from new prescription drug pricing policies from the federal Inflation Reduction Act of 2022. President Biden signed the $750 billion bill into law on Tuesday, ensuring lower prescription drug prices, capping insulin copays to $35 per month, and providing continuous health coverage through subsidies. … Read more
Creating a more coordinated system of care for the elderly is a top priority for Florida health care leaders, especially when 1 in 5 residents in the country’s 3rd most populous state are over the age of 65. Four elder care experts held a roundtable discussion at our 2022 Florida State of Reform Health Policy … Read more
Financial access to health care and social security are among top concerns for Floridians aged 50+, according to a new member survey from AARP Florida. Over 1,000 Floridians responded to the survey, which took place between May 20 and August 18, 2021. The survey asked about respondents’ recent life experiences during the pandemic and their … Read more
AARP Florida today released the following statement regarding House Bill 1239 (Rep. Melo/R-Naples) and Senate Bill 804 (Sen. Albritton/R-Bartow), which propose a 20% cut to daily nursing care for each nursing home resident. AARP Florida Associate State Director Zayne Smith said, “It’s disappointing to see these irresponsible bills continue to move through the legislative process … Read more
Florida has one of the highest percentages of residents over age 65 in the nation, pushing the continuum of care for seniors to the forefront of health care discussions. Currently, much of Florida’s health care spending for seniors is through institutionalized care, according to a recently released report from Florida TaxWatch, an independent research institute. … Read more
AARP invites local organizations and governments across Florida to apply for the 2022 AARP Community Challenge grant program, open now through March 22, 2022. Grants fund quick-action projects that help communities become more livable in the long-term by improving public spaces, transportation, housing, civic engagement, coronavirus recovery, diversity and inclusion, and more. Now in its … Read more
The pandemic has killed more than 186,000 nursing home residents and staff, according to a nursing home dashboard from the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP). For Florida’s nursing homes, however, the situation appears to be heading in a positive direction. According to an AARP press release on nursing home vaccination rates, data … Read more
The Florida Health Care Association (FHCA) released a statement on Thursday in response to a September update from the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) COVID-19 Dashboard, which documents case, vaccination, and death rates in Florida’s nursing homes. FHCA represents approximately 700 long-term care facilities across Florida. According to the dashboard, COVID case … Read more
Health care leaders are concerned a federal vaccination requirement for nursing home workers could exacerbate staffing shortages, at a time when Florida’s nursing homes are already dealing with some of the nation’s highest COVID cases among their staff. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced Wednesday it will release a federal … Read more