Various members of Florida’s congressional delegation have sent a letter to Dr. Mehmet Oz, the administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, urging approval of Florida's Hospital Directed Payment Program (DPP) Year 5.
The reason for urgent approval request is for Florida to secure a stable financial outlook for hospitals that serve millions of working-class families in the state.
The letter claims that Florida has taken a “fiscally responsible” approach to utilizing Medicaid in its hospitals, ranking 46th in per capita Medicaid spending.
“Unlike many states, Florida never expanded Medicaid under Obamacare, choosing instead to uphold the principle of limited government and fiscal discipline. Rather than building up bureaucracy and chasing short-term infusions of enhanced federal Medicaid match, Florida has used tools like the DPP to stretch every federal dollar,” the letter reads. “Florida's hospitals are doing more with less. Our state's facilities cater to the Medicaid population while confronting rising costs for labor, healthcare, and essential supplies. Our state serves the fourth-highest number of Medicaid patients in the nation, and since 2021, the DPP has played a central role in helping hospitals stay financially viable as they provide quality care to low-income Floridians.”
The message concludes detailing how Florida is remaining compliant in the recent changes to DPP approval as a result of the “One Big Beautiful Bill” and how Florida’s proposal “is not excessive, nor does it create windfalls.”
Reps. Neal Dunn (R), Daniel Webster (R), Gus Bilirakis (R), Byron Donalds (R), Kat Cammack (R), John H. Rutherford (R), C. Scott Franklin (R), Carlos A. Gimenez (R), Cory Mills (R), Vern Buchanan (R), Aaron Bean (R), Jimmy Patronis (R), Laurel M. Lee (R), Anna Paulina Luna (R), Mike Haridopolos (R), Mario Diaz-Balart (R), and María Elvira-Salazar (R), all signed the letter.
