Disability Rights Florida commends the introduction of Senate Bill 212 by Senator Joe Gruters to establish and implement a Medicaid Buy-in program for Floridians with disabilities. If passed by the 2024 Florida Legislature, this legislation would create an optional state Medicaid benefit group specifically for workers with disabilities who have earnings in excess of maximum income eligibility levels. Specifically, the legislation provides that the Medicaid Buy-in program “must provide full Medicaid benefits to eligible individuals and limit any premiums or cost sharing to a certain percentage of an individual’s income, as determined by [the Agency for Health Care Administration].”
Already available in 46 states, a Medicaid Buy-in program would allow Floridians with disabilities to work and access the services and supports they need without needing to choose between healthcare and employment options. Although this is the third consecutive year that legislation has been filed proposing to establish and implement a Medicaid Buy-in program, similar legislation has not yet been heard by a legislative committee in either chamber of the Florida Legislature. As the state’s designated Protection and Advocacy (P&A) system, Disability Rights Florida eagerly anticipates the eventual introduction of similar legislation in the Florida House of Representatives and looks forward to related opportunities to work collaboratively with policymakers and stakeholders as this important legislation is being considered by the Florida Legislature.