TITLE
RESOLUTION URGING THE FLORIDA LEGISLATURE TO PASS SB 218, HB 319 OR SIMILAR LEGISLATION PROVIDING THAT COUNTIES PAY HEALTH CARE PROVIDERS AT MEDICAID RATES FOR INMATE MEDICAL CARE

BODY
WHEREAS, Florida law currently requires the cost of medical care, treatment, hospitalization and transportation for county-held inmates to be paid from the county�s general fund if the arrest was for a violation of state law or a county ordinance pursuant to section 901.35, Florida Statutes; and
WHEREAS, bills have been filed for consideration during the 2010 regular session, SB�218 by Senator Dennis Jones (R � Seminole) and HB 319 by Representative Ed Hooper (R��Clearwater), that would require payments by counties to health care providers at the state's Medicaid rate for medical services for inmates; and
WHEREAS, at least ten states have laws limiting the amount that can be charged for inmate medical care, including Colorado, Illinois, Maine, Minnesota, Mississippi, Montana, New Hampshire, Oklahoma, Washington and Wisconsin; and
WHEREAS, Colorado has passed a state law providing for payments at Medicaid rates for inmate medical care; and
WHEREAS, many inmates would qualify for Medicaid if they were not incarcerated; and
WHEREAS, Miami-Dade County currently pays health care providers at Medicaid rates for inmate medical care, but passage of state legislation would ensure that the County would continue to pay medical providers at the Medicaid rate for inmate medical care; and
WHEREAS, a similar bill was filed for consideration during the 2009 regular session, HB 823 by Representative Hooper, but this bill did not pass,
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS OF MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, FLORIDA, that this Board:
Section 1. Urges the Florida Legislature to pass SB 218, HB 319 or similar legislation that provides that counties pay health care providers at Medicaid rates for inmate medical care.
Section 2. Directs the Clerk of the Board to transmit certified copies of the resolution to the Governor, the Senate President, the House Speaker, and the Chair and Members of the Miami-Dade State Legislative Delegation.
Section 3. Directs the County's state lobbyists to advocate for the issues identified in section 1 above, and authorizes and directs the Office of Intergovernmental Affairs to include this item in the 2010 state legislative package.