Florida Health Centers Win Medicaid Funding Fight With State

A federal appeals court affirmed a lower court ruling that ordered Florida’s Medicaid program to change how it calculates payments to federally qualified health centers in the state.

In an opinion issued Tuesday, a three-judge panel of the US Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit ruled that Florida’s definition of the “scope of services” meriting increased reimbursement was “impermissibly narrow” and contravened Medicaid statute.

The case, brought by Fort Myers-based Family Health Centers of Southwest Florida, centered on when Florida’s Medicaid program must adjust what it pays health centers under a formula established by the Medicaid and SCHIP Benefits ...