Governor Ron DeSantis yesterday signed the Framework for Freedom Budget for Florida Fiscal Year 2023-24. The Florida Health Care Association (FHCA) commended Gov. Ron DeSantis for approving the state budget, which includes funding to advance quality care to help ensure that Florida’s long term care profession can continue meeting the needs of the state’s vulnerable seniors and people with disabilities.
The FY 2023-2024 state budget includes an increase in Medicaid funding for nursing center care in two areas: a $93 million increase to support ongoing quality advancements, and an additional $32 million applied across all care centers. Nursing center residents will also see an increase to the Medicaid personal needs allowance, which has been raised from $130 per month to $160 per month.
“We want to express our sincere gratitude to Governor DeSantis for recognizing that continued leadership in providing high-quality care for Florida’s nursing center residents requires an ongoing investment of state resources to ensure that we remain the gold standard,” said Emmett Reed, FHCA Chief Executive Officer. “The very real challenges of our growing elder population cannot be pushed aside, and the Governor, Senate President Passidomo, and Speaker Renner deserve our thanks for recognizing this and providing funds to meet those challenges.”