2012-047 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

A TRUE COPY CERTIFICATION ON LAST PAGE The Honorable Rick Scott J . K . BARTON , CLERK Page 2 of 2 March 12 , 2012 error to occur for such a long period of time . Based upon the data that we have received on this bill , apparently errors such as this were rampant throughout the State . These gross billing errors should be unacceptable to anyone at any level of State government . Simply telling the counties to pay the backlog without the ability to verify the data simply enables AHCA to continue performing at a similar level into the future . 4 . HB 5301 carries an estimated cost of over $ 1 . 4 million for Indian River County next year . Last fiscal year, our total costs were $ 863 , 443 . The Hospital District paid $ 205 , 978 , and the BCC paid $ 657 , 465 . The total increase of about $ 568 , 627 will result in a substantial increase for the County and the Hospital District . These expenses are supported by ad valorem taxes levied on county residents . Further, last fiscal year' s total cost was up from fiscal year 2009/ 10 ( $ 372 , 625 ) . This will be a 284% increase from the County' s Medicaid costs just two years ago . Please note , this is simply a cost- shift from the State to the counties and represents an unfunded mandate . 5 . Charging local governments before they can determine residency is an irresponsible use of taxpayer dollars . Counties have a fiduciary responsibility to their residents to ensure that the services they pay for are for services provided to the county' s residents . The proposed language makes each county pay first and then hope for a refund . 6 . The proposal would require counties to pay the billings up front in the future . Based upon past performance of ARCA, this concept is unsettling in that our county and others will invariably be billed for expenses that are not our responsibility . 7 . Disputed billings in the backlog should be certified by an independent 3rd party , NOT the agency responsible for the disputed billings . 8 . HB 5301 adds yet another layer of bureaucracy to a flawed system rather than fixing the problem . The current process includes the Department of Children and Families, the Agency for Healthcare Administration ( ANCA ) and 67 county governments — incorporating the Department of Revenue does nothing to solve the inefficiencies that already exist in the Medicaid billing system . As shown above , this legislation will have a significant adverse financial impact on Indian River County . We are asking for your assistance to veto House Bill 5301 . Thank you for all of your past and future efforts working to benefit the residents of Indian River County . If you would like to discuss this important topic further, please contact me at ( 772 ) 226- 1492 . Sincerely, Gary C .�eeler, Chairman , District 3 Indian River County Board of County Commissioners