SUBJECT
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Approve the Low Income Pool Letter of Agreement with the State of Florida Agency for Health Care Administration for the State share of matching funds on behalf of Central Florida Health Care for State Fiscal Year 2026-2027 and give the County Manager the authority to sign the Intergovernmental Transfers Questionnaire. (not-to-exceed $1,266,917.00 one-time expense).
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DESCRIPTION
The Low Income Pool program is authorized by the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services through waivers and State plan amendments. The program provides government support for safety-net health care service providers for the costs of uncompensated charity care for uninsured low-income individuals. County governments use InterGovernmental Transfers to send matching funds to the State Agency for Health Care Administration as the State share on behalf of qualifying health care service providers. The State draws down the federal matching funds based on utilization and sends total combined funds directly to the health care service providers.
The State provided the County with a Letter of Agreement that includes the State match in the amount required in order for Central Florida Health Care to benefit from the Low Income Pool program. The County will transfer an amount not-to-exceed $1,266,917 allowing approximately $1,808,904 to flow back directly to Central Florida Health Care, including an estimated net benefit of an additional $541,987, further supporting Central Florida Health Care in its ability to provide health care services to Polk County’s low-income residents.
Including this State Fiscal Year 2026/2027 Low Income Pool match opportunity, a total of approximately $12.8 million will have been leveraged through the indigent health care fund over the past 19 years to return a benefit estimated in the amount of $27.3 million directly to Central Florida Health Care towards uncompensated care for uninsured Polk County residents.
This match funding opportunity...
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