SESSION WATCH
Died SENATE · SESSION 2026

No. SB 1026

Community Health Worker Services
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SPONSOR
Rodriguez
FILED BY
Ana Maria Rodriguez — District 40, Republican [search donations]
EFFECTIVE
7/1/2026
DIED IN
Health Policy

Filed under Healthcare.

PROVIDED SUMMARY

Community Health Worker Services; Authorizing the Agency for Health Care Administration to pay for specified community health worker services as an optional Medicaid service, subject to certain coverage requirements; defining the term “community health worker”; adding community health worker services to the list of Medicaid services authorized for reimbursement on a fee-for-service basis, etc.

Full bill text →

Plain English Summary

AI-GENERATED
Adds community health worker services as a covered Medicaid benefit.

Lets Florida Medicaid pay for community health worker services -- including health coaching, translation, home visits, transportation arranging, and care coordination -- as a new optional fee-for-service benefit.

Defines a covered 'community health worker' as a trusted frontline public health worker serving a community's health and social needs, expressly including community health representatives, promotores de salud, and community-based organization staff.

Separately makes community health worker services a mandatory minimum benefit that Medicaid managed care plans must cover, and requires the agency to write rules spelling out exactly which services qualify.

KEY PROVISIONS
§ 1 Medicaid may pay for a broad range of community health worker services majors. 409.906

AIAdds an optional Medicaid service letting the agency pay for community health worker services -- a broad list including health promotion, wellness coaching, cultural mediation, translation, health system navigation, patient advocacy, appointment outreach, home visits, transportation arranging, and care coordination.

“The agency may pay for the provision of community health worker services including, but not limited to, health promotion, wellness coaching, and self management education” bill text, line 44 →
§ 2 Managed care plans must cover community health worker services majors. 409.973

AIAdds community health worker services to the list of services that Medicaid managed care plans shall cover, at a minimum, making this benefit mandatory for managed care enrollees rather than merely an optional service the agency may choose to pay for.

“Managed care plans shall cover, at a minimum, the following services: (e) Community health worker services.” bill text, line 116 →
§ 3 Defines 'community health worker' broadly, including promotores de salud moderates. 409.906

AIDefines a covered 'community health worker' as a frontline public health worker who is a trusted member of, or has a close understanding of, the community served, expressly including community health representatives, promotores de salud, and workers at community-based organizations.

“a frontline public health worker who provides a range of services addressing the health and social needs of the community” bill text, line 56 →
§ 4 Agency must write rules defining which services actually qualify moderates. 409.906

AIThe agency must adopt rules to implement this new benefit, including rules that establish which specific community health worker services are eligible for payment, meaning the broad statutory list is not self-executing until rules are adopted.

“The agency shall adopt rules to implement this subsection, including, but not limited to, rules establishing eligible services provided by community health workers.” bill text, line 62 →
TIMELINE
3/13/2026
Died in Health Policy
1/13/2026
Introduced
1/7/2026
Referred to Health Policy; Appropriations Committee on Health and...
12/30/2025
Filed
STATUTES IT CHANGES
s. 409.906
+183 / −0
s. 409.908
+5 / −0
s. 409.973
+5 / −0
s. 409.908
+0 / −0
s. 409.973
+0 / −0