Federal Approval for Community Health Workers as Medicaid Providers:
HB 719 would require the Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA) to seek federal approval by September 30, 2025, so that community health workers can be formally enrolled and recognized as Medicaid providers in Florida. The bill directs AHCA to pursue approval through either a Medicaid waiver or a state plan amendment and to secure financing for community health worker services using Medicaid matching funds and other available means.
The bill also specifies that any federal approval must apply statewide, not just in a limited geographic area, and should maximize use of community health workers by allowing reimbursement through fee-for-service, value-based payment, or a combination of both. The services covered would need to align with the workers’ training and abilities and be supported by evidence-based research and programs. AHCA would then have to report to the Legislature by September 30, 2026, on progress toward meeting these requirements.
HB 719 would not directly create a new Medicaid benefit in state law, but it would require AHCA to take formal steps toward federal authorization that could expand Medicaid reimbursement to community health workers statewide. If approved federally, the bill could affect Medicaid administration, provider enrollment rules, and payment structures by allowing community health workers to bill for covered services under fee-for-service or value-based models. It would primarily affect AHCA, Medicaid managed care and provider systems, and community health workers seeking recognition and reimbursement.
No committee transcript or vote record is available, but the bill’s introduction suggests a policy interest in expanding the Medicaid workforce and supporting community-based care. Its eventual death in the Health Care Facilities & Systems Subcommittee indicates that it did not advance, which may reflect limited support, competing priorities, or unresolved concerns about implementation and financing. Overall, the bill appears to have been framed as a workforce and access-to-care measure rather than a controversial restructuring of Medicaid.
The main points of potential contention are likely to have been whether community health workers should be formally recognized as Medicaid providers, how broad the required statewide coverage should be, and whether the state should pursue fee-for-service, value-based payment, or both. Legislators or stakeholders may also have questioned the fiscal and administrative implications of seeking federal approval and securing matching funds, as well as whether the evidence base is sufficient to define reimbursable services within the workers’ scope of training. Because the bill died in subcommittee and no transcripts are available, the specific objections are not documented in the provided record.