News Release

HHS Grants Medical Care Payments for Evacuees in Florida

State Made Whole for Costs Now, Including Medicaid and Uncompensated Care

Florida will get new immediate support for the medical care provided to Hurricane Katrina evacuees, including money for uncompensated care, under an agreement with the federal government. The agreement makes it easier for eligible evacuees to receive services through the state�s Medicaid and State Children�s Health Insurance Programs (SCHIP), HHS Secretary Mike Leavitt announced today.

�Florida not only suffered damage from Hurricane Katrina, it is also providing refuge to people whose homes and jobs were lost in other hurricane stricken states,� Secretary Leavitt said. �Today�s agreement implements the President�s vision to ensure that Florida, its residents and the displaced people they are caring for will get the help they need in the wake of this disaster, including help with providing needed medical care.�

�Today�s action makes it easier for people to get access to the health care they need right now, without the delay and paperwork of setting up new kinds of programs,� said Mark B. McClellan, M.D., Ph.D., administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), the agency that oversees Medicaid and SCHIP. �This waiver also supports innovative ways to provide needed care that differ from standard approaches in Medicaid, including expanded community-based health care centers, mobile units for providing basic care at convenient locations for evacuees and new referral networks, and care provided by health professionals who may not participate in the Medicaid program.�

As of today, Secretary Leavitt has granted emergency Section 1115 waivers to Texas, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida. CMS is also expecting a number of other states to apply for the special waiver as Hurricane Rita threatens even more damage to Gulf Coast states.

The agreement with Florida would enable evacuees who have little ability to pay for care to get coverage through Medicaid or SCHIP for up to five months, even if they do not have the usual documentation. This waiver program was developed by HHS to ensure that evacuees in need of medical care have immediate access to it.

Under the waiver, needed medical services will be delivered to evacuees who are children up to age 19 and their parents, pregnant women, individuals with disabilities, low-income Medicare beneficiaries and those who need long-term care and meet certain income requirements. Evacuees will be asked to complete a simplified application form declaring their income and assets, if any.

Evacuees who receive services through the state�s Medicaid or SCHIP programs will receive the standard program benefit package. Florida will charge evacuees the standard copayments allowed for by law. However, the state is reminding providers that they may not deny care to an evacuee who cannot pay for the service.

The state will also work to identify ways to assist these individuals in obtaining private insurance, as they transition from evacuee status to getting a job and a home.

�We worked closely with Florida Governor Jeb Bush and his Medicaid officials to build on this program quickly, to provide immediate and effective relief for evacuee health costs,� said Dr. McClellan. �We will provide similar support to any other state that is hosting a significant number of evacuees.�