Medical Coverage Assistance Program for Working Individuals with Disabilities:
HB 1373 creates the "Economic Self-Sufficiency for Working Individuals with Disabilities" and directs the Agency for Health Care Administration to establish a Medicaid buy-in program for certain working Floridians with disabilities, contingent on federal approval. The program would apply to individuals ages 18 through 64 who are working, whose incomes are above the current Medicaid initial-enrollment limit, and who otherwise qualify under the bill’s framework. The agency would be required to determine the new income eligibility level for participants.
The bill specifies that the buy-in program must provide full Medicaid benefits to eligible individuals, while limiting premiums and cost sharing to a percentage of income set by the agency. It also requires the state to seek federal approval by October 1, 2025, through either a Medicaid waiver or a state plan amendment, and to implement the program once approval is obtained. The act would take effect immediately upon becoming law.
If enacted and federally approved, the bill would add a new section to Florida Statutes, s. 409.9141, and expand Medicaid access for a defined group of working adults with disabilities whose earnings place them above standard Medicaid income limits. It would shift responsibility to the Agency for Health Care Administration to design, seek approval for, and administer the program, including setting eligibility thresholds and premium/cost-sharing rules. The bill would affect Medicaid policy, disability services, and working-age adults with disabilities who need health coverage tied to employment.
The available record shows no committee transcript or recorded votes, so there is no documented floor or committee debate to gauge detailed sentiment. Based on the bill’s purpose and structure, it appears to be a supportive access-to-coverage measure aimed at helping working individuals with disabilities maintain employment while retaining health insurance. However, the bill ultimately died in the Health Care Facilities & Systems Subcommittee, indicating it did not advance despite its policy goal.
The main points of potential contention are likely to have been fiscal and administrative rather than ideological: whether Florida should create a Medicaid buy-in program, how much it would cost, and how premiums and cost sharing should be set. Another likely issue is federal approval, since the program cannot begin without a waiver or state plan amendment, and the agency is given discretion to determine the new income eligibility level. The lack of recorded discussion makes it unclear which members or stakeholders raised objections, but the bill’s failure to advance suggests unresolved concerns about implementation or budget impact.