Health Council of South Florida 2008 State Legislative Agenda

The Health Council of South Florida (Council) is one of eleven local health councils
created by §408.033, F.S. to coordinate health services planning across the state.
Our strategic focus is on HIV/AIDS, access to care and health promotion with an
emphasis on Miami-Dade and Monroe Counties (District XI). The Health Council of
South Florida’s legislative priorities for action by Florida legislators during the 2008
Legislative Session are:

COUNCIL FOCUSED LEGISLATIVE ISSUES

• Local Health Councils
  2007 Legislative Recap: Provided $906K in grants and aids; $82,274 per
  local health council.
  
  FULLY FUND local health councils statewide to a minimum of $1.65 million
  as provided in FY04-05.
  
  Residents and health care providers in Miami-Dade and Monroe Counties
  have derived substantial benefits from the Council serving as the preferred
  partner for strategic and community-based planning. State funding in FY06-
  07 provided operational support for the Health Council of South Florida to:
  
  • Be the authoritative source of objective and reliable community health
    data (health profiles, community resource inventories) for informed
    health policy at the local, state and national levels.
  • Produce a first ever, best in class Miami-Dade County Community
    Health Report Card by assessing trends, setting benchmarks and
    pinpointing 10 focus areas for targeted community health
    improvement by 2012
  • Provide statewide administration of the AIDS Insurance Continuation
    Program (AICP)
  • Serve as the Designated Official Planning Agency for the Florida
    Transportation Disadvantaged program in Monroe County
  • Lead collaborative community health initiatives to improve access to
    and delivery of healthcare services
  • Convene expert panels to address emerging health issues such as
    pandemic influenza and other natural and manmade threats
  • Conduct effective program and service delivery evaluations
    
    
• AIDS Insurance Continuation Program (AICP)
  2007 Legislative Recap: Provided $1.3M increase to maintain current
  enrollment levels.

MAINTAIN level funding at $11 million to sustain current enrollment levels.

AICP preserves the private health insurance coverage of low-income
Floridians living with HIV/AIDS who cannot afford to pay their private health
insurance premiums. The program’s current overall cost-effectiveness or
Gross Value Added Ratio is $4.79 for every dollar invested. In 2006, AICP
provided private health care services for 2,252 clients throughout Florida.

COMMUNITY FOCUSED LEGISLATIVE ISSUES

• Medicaid Reform
  OPPOSE further expansion of the managed care demonstration program
  until demonstrated effective outcomes are met in the pilot counties of
  Broward, Duval, Baker, Clay and Nassau.
  
  
• Access to Care for Uninsured & Underinsured
  OPPOSE decreases in general revenue appropriations to the Low Income
  Pool program’s capped annual allocation of $1 billion for each year of the
  program’s 5 year demonstration period through 2010.
  
  
• Certificate of Need
  OPPOSE further deregulation of the Certificate of Need program.
  
  
• Childhood Obesity
  SUPPORT policies and strategies for preventing obesity, including reducing
  or eliminating trans fat options.
  
  
• Antiviral Stockpile
  SEEK to become the 50th state in the country participating in the Federal
  Subsidy Program and SECURE 2.3 million treatment courses of antiviral
  medications for the state.
  
  
• Rural Health
  SUPPORT rural health network initiatives and legislation to include
  participation in state health insurance groups, Monroe County rural health
  and local health council involvement.
  
  
• Florida Commission for the Transportation Disadvantaged
  ENSURE proposed revisions to Chapter 427.011-427.017, F.S. maintain
  coordinated planning of transportation services for the disadvantaged
  
  
• Health Professionals Shortages (including Nursing and Allied Health)
  PROVIDE funding to community colleges and universities to address current
  and projected physician, nursing and allied health workforce needs,
  especially among minority dense geographic areas.
  INTRODUCE affordable housing legislation for public service health
  professionals.
  INCREASE funding for nursing schools and EXPAND nursing faculty
  training opportunities. Nationally, more than 41,000 qualified nursing school
  applicants were turned away in 2005 due to nursing schools operating at
  maximum capacity.

Click here for an Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF) version
of the 2008 State Legislative Agenda.