Fla. hospitals on the hook for $267 million in Medicaid overpayment

The federal government says the hospitals were paid too much, and it wants the entire overage back this year. That is a tough demand for two of the state's safety-net hospitals. Meanwhile, a Florida teen battling cancer hits Capitol Hill to lobby for funding for Medicaid and other children's programs.

Tampa Bay Times: Demand That Hospitals Repay Medicaid Funds Latest Sign Of D.C.-Tallahassee Rift
The federal government wants to recover $267 million from Florida hospitals it says were paid too much to care for the poor. And it wants the entire amount this year -; a demand that is hitting safety-net hospitals like Jackson Memorial in Miami and Tampa General hard. ... It's not unusual for health care funding to be audited and adjustments required. Justin Senior, director of the state Medicaid program, noted that $267 million, a figure accrued over the past eight years, pales compared with the $1 billion annual appropriation. But the one-year repayment is a sticker shock. Hospital and state officials have asked for three years instead, and assurances that the audits are final (Mitchell, 7/3).

The Associated Press: Fla. Teen Cancer Survivor Lobbies Capitol Hill For Sustained Medicaid/CHIP Funding
A 14-year-old southwest Florida cancer survivor is lobbying lawmakers on Capitol Hill to fund Medicaid and other children's programs. Tony Colton recently joined more than 25 patients and families from across the country for the Children's Hospital Association's advocacy day. Colton spoke with U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla., and representatives Gus Bilirakis, Vern Buchanan, Kathy Castor and David Jolly about Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program. Tony has been a patient at All Children's Hospital patient since 2011, after being diagnosed with clear cell sarcoma of the kidney, a rare pediatric cancer. Tony and his family urged lawmakers to fund these specialty programs. Nearly 70 percent of patients at All Children's Hospital are Medicaid recipients (7/5).