The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA

Abstract #47783

Rosebud Foster, EdD¹, Jon Dodds, PhD², Jessie Legros, MPH¹, and Steven B Zucker, DMD, MEd¹. (1) Area Health Education Center, Nova Southeastern University, 3200 S. University Drive, Suite 1588, Ft. Lauderdale, FL 33328, (954) 262-1588, rosebud@nova.edu, (2) Health Professions Division, Master of Public Health Program, Nova Southeastern University, 3200 South University Drive, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33328

With a mission to provide health care to underserved populations, the community and migrant health centers of Florida serve both Medicaid eligible and Medicaid ineligible persons, in rural and urban areas. However, the State of Florida, as one of 10 states, received a Federal Medicaid Waiver for a demonstration project, and was permitted by mandate to enroll all Medicaid beneficiaries in state-defined Medicaid Managed Care Plans for their health care. Some of the community/migrant health centers were able to develop a ‘managed care product’ or to affiliate with existing Medicaid Managed Care Plans to retain their market share, and continue as a Medicaid provider, while others were not. The financial impact due to the loss of revenue from Medicaid posed new challenges to the viability of these centers, potentially affecting quality and types of services for the Medicaid-ineligible migrant, immigrant, and other populations served by the centers. In the session we will report the results of a statewide survey taken in the summer of 2001 by the Area Health Education Center (AHEC) of Nova Southeastern University Health Professions Division. In this survey of all community/migrant health centers in the state of Florida, administrators assessed the impact of Medicaid Managed Care reform on their centers in underserved urban and rural communities.

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