SESSION WATCH
Died HOUSE · SESSION 2026

No. HB 5301

Health Care
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SPONSOR
Health Care Budget Subcommittee; Andrade
FILED BY
Robert Andrade — District 2, Republican [search donations]
EFFECTIVE
7/1/2026

Filed under Healthcare.

PROVIDED SUMMARY

Health Care; Removes provisions relating to Florida health care innovation; revises payment methodology for reimbursement of Medicaid providers; provides legislative intent; creates Eligibility Assistance Program within DCF; provides program requirements; requires department to select independent contractor based on specified criteria to operate program; provides Medicaid waiver funding requirements for certain individuals; requires APD & AHCA to reconcile funding amounts in specified manner.

Full bill text →

Plain English Summary

AI-GENERATED
Creates a program to help disabled Floridians qualify for Medicaid.

Creates the Eligibility Assistance Program inside the Department of Children and Families. A nonprofit contractor with at least 20 years of experience will run call centers and online help for disabled Floridians navigating Medicaid eligibility.

Extends Medicaid managed care plan contracts from six years to eight years. A new quality incentive withholds 2 percent of each plan's payment annually, tied to infant mortality performance, with penalties for plans that get worse.

Hospitals must be paid separately, and at no less than actual acquisition cost, for long-acting injectable drugs given to patients with severe mental illness in a hospital setting.

Repeals the state's Florida health care innovation provisions entirely. Separately, funding will follow individuals with developmental disabilities when they switch between home-based waiver services and the state's managed care pilot program.

KEY PROVISIONS
§ 1 Creates a Medicaid eligibility-navigation program for disabled Floridians majors. 409.9207

AIEstablishes the Eligibility Assistance Program inside the Department of Children and Families to help people with disabilities complete the steps required to qualify for Medicaid and other community-based services.

“The Eligibility Assistance Program is created within the Department of Children and Families” bill text, line 595 →
§ 2 Extends Medicaid managed care contracts from six to eight years majors. 409.967

AIManaged care plans selected in the 2023 procurement round get an 8-year contract instead of 6. Contracts still cannot be renewed, so this locks in the same plan for two extra years before rebidding.

“the agency shall establish a 8-year contract with each managed care plan”
§ 3 Requires hospitals be paid actual cost for severe-mental-illness drugs majors. 409.912

AIHospitals administering long-acting injectable drugs for severe mental illness get paid for that drug separately from the flat per-stay hospital rate, and the payment can never be less than what the hospital paid to acquire it.

“shall be reimbursed at no less than the actual acquisition cost of the drug” bill text, line 356 →
§ 4 Restricts who may run the new navigation program moderates. 409.9207

AIThe program is run by one selected contractor statewide, which must be a tax-exempt nonprofit already in good standing with at least 20 years running disability services and the capacity to operate a call center.

“At least 20 years' experience operating local or regional programs that provide services for persons with disabilities” bill text, line 607 →
§ 5 Ties managed care pay and enrollment to infant mortality outcomes moderates. 409.967

AIFor the contract term ending in 2033, the agency withholds 2 percent of each plan's capitation rate every year and pays it back based on how much the plan cuts infant mortality versus other plans. A plan whose rate rises instead loses new-member automatic assignment for four months.

“the sole metric for a quality withhold incentive is infant mortality” bill text, line 664 →
§ 6 Lets Medicaid funding follow people switching disability programs moderates. 409.9855

AIWhen someone moves between the developmental-disabilities home care waiver and the managed care pilot program, their state Medicaid funding transfers with them between the two state agencies, reconciled every quarter.

“funding associated with the individual shall be transferred from the Agency for Persons with Disabilities to the Agency for Health Care Administration” bill text, line 692 →
§ 7 Repeals the Florida health care innovation statute moderates. 381.4015

AISection 381.4015, Florida Statutes, is eliminated entirely. The bill does not restate what that section required, so the practical effect of removing it cannot be fully assessed from this text alone.

“Section 381.4015, Florida Statutes, is repealed.” bill text, line 29 →
§ 8 Reworks the facility quality-incentive payment formula technicals. 409.908

AIThe pool of money used for quality incentive payments to included facilities rises from 10 percent to 15.2344 percent of certain 2016 payments, and the quality score needed to qualify changes from a percentile ranking to 33 percent of available program points.

“33 percent of all available points in the Medicaid Quality Incentive Program” bill text, line 111 →
TIMELINE
3/13/2026
Died pending reference review under Rule 4.7(2)
3/3/2026
Pending reference review -under Rule 4.7(2) - (Amendments)
3/2/2026
Favorable with 1 amendment(s) by- Appropriations (356566); YEAS 17 NAYS 0
2/25/2026
On Committee agenda-- Appropriations, 03/02/26, 12:00 pm, 110...
2/20/2026
Conference Committee appointed
2/19/2026
Received
2/19/2026
Referred to Appropriations
2/19/2026
In Messages
2/19/2026
Requests that the Senate pass the bill as passed by the House or...
2/19/2026
Passed; YEAS 104, NAYS 0
2/19/2026
Read 3rd time
2/19/2026
Added to Third Reading Calendar
2/19/2026
Read 2nd time
2/16/2026
1st Reading (Original Filed Version)
2/16/2026
Bill added to Special Order Calendar (2/19/2026)
2/16/2026
Bill referred to House Calendar
2/16/2026
Filed
11 EARLIER →
STATUTES IT CHANGES
s. 381.4015
+6 / −0
s. 409.908
+11 / −6
s. 409.912
+55 / −1
s. 409.9207
+291 / −0
s. 409.967
+213 / −26
s. 409.9855
+204 / −0
STAFF ANALYSES