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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.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Click here to view the 2007 Miami-Dade County Community Health Report Card