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State Awards WellCare Sole Contract For Medically Complex Children

Leon County Judge John Cooper on June 30, 2022, in a screen grab from The Florida Channel.
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The Florida Channel
Leon County Judge John Cooper on June 30, 2022, in a screen grab from The Florida Channel.

The Florida Department of Health has decided to award Tampa-based WellCare Health Plans with a statewide contract to care for children with complex medical issues.

The move will affect about 60,000 children who are insured by Medicaid or the state's Children’s Health Insurance program.

The Children’s Medical Services Health Plan is Florida’s only specialty health plan for children and youth with special health care needs.

State officials say the decision to shift providers followed nearly three years of having state and national experts examine the current plan and outline a new one.

Under this partnership, WellCare will implement the new service delivery model for the CMS Health Plan.

There are legal challenges to this decision. Opponents say federal law, as well as the Medicaid waivers that authorize managed-care programs, requires that patients have at  least two health plan options.

Copyright 2018 WUSF Public Media - WUSF 89.7

Daylina Miller is a multimedia reporter for WUSF and Health News Florida, covering health in the Tampa Bay area and across the state.
Daylina Miller
Daylina Miller, multimedia reporter for Health News Florida, was hired to help further expand health coverage statewide.