SUBJECT
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Public Hearing to consider an ordinance amending Section 4 of the Polk County Indigent Health Care Plan Extension Ordinance (Ordinance No. 2015-076) which changes the process for amending the County’s plan for providing health care services to qualified residents, and adopt a Resolution which approves a revised and restated version of that plan.
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DESCRIPTION
Florida Statutes, section 212.077 (7), permits the County to levy a half-cent discretionary indigent care sales surtax with voter approval of the surtax. Polk County voters originally approved the surtax in 2003, and then again in 2016 when they approved extending the surtax through 2044 as stated in County Ordinance 2015-076 (the “IHC Extension Ordinance”). As required by the statute, the IHC Extension Ordinance (and its 2003 predecessor) set forth a plan (the “Plan”) for providing health care services to qualified residents of the county.
The IHC Extension Ordinance permits the Plan to be maintained separate and apart from the ordinance. However, Section 4 of the IHC Extension Ordinance requires the Board to amend the ordinance whenever it must change the Plan. To more efficiently change the Plan when needed, staff proposes revising Section 4 so the Board may do so by adopting a Resolution describing the Plan changes, rather than amending the IHC Extension Ordinance. The proposed ordinance amendment will change Section 4 accordingly.
Staff also proposes changing the Plan so the maximum income limits of qualified residents is increased to at or below three hundred percent (300%) of the Federal Poverty Level. This change is included within a revised and restated Plan which is renamed the “Indigent Health Care Surtax Use Plan” and attached to a proposed Resolution for adopting the revised and restated Plan.
RECOMMENDATION
Adopt the proposed ordinance amending Section 4 of the IHC Extension Ordinance to change the process for amending the Plan, and adopt the proposed Resolution to approve the revised and restated Plan.
FISCAL IMPACT
No fiscal impact.
CONTACT INFORMATION
Joy Johnson, Health and Human Services Administrator
863-534-5204
Heather Bryan, Assistant County Attorney
863-534-6746