On Wednesday, March 19, 2025, 29 home care industry professionals from across Florida participated in HCAF’s annual Home Care Day at the Capitol, engaging in over 120 meetings with legislators, including every lawmaker serving on committees with jurisdiction over health care policy. Advocates delivered a unified message about the urgent need for regulatory modernization, workforce expansion, and increased Medicaid reimbursement rates to ensure Florida’s growing demand for home-based care is met.

The event began the evening before with a Welcome Reception & Policy Briefing on Tuesday, March 18, featuring special guest speaker Representative Gallop Franklin (D-Tallahassee). This gathering provided advocates with valuable networking opportunities and a comprehensive overview of key legislative priorities, ensuring they were well-prepared for their meetings at the Capitol.

HCAF extends its deepest gratitude to every individual who participated in this year’s Home Care Day. Your leadership, passion, and commitment to Florida’s home care industry made a lasting impact. By sharing your expertise and real-world experiences with lawmakers, you played a vital role in shaping policies that will directly impact patients, providers, and caregivers.

If you were unable to attend this year, don’t miss your chance to make a difference next year! This free advocacy event is your opportunity to:

• Meet one-on-one with state legislators to discuss key policy issues.
• Network with fellow industry professionals and build valuable relationships.
• Be part of shaping the future of home care in Florida!

Catch up on the highlights below, and click here to view the event photo album for a look at the energy, engagement, and advocacy in action.

Legislative Priorities: Strengthening Florida’s Home Care Industry

HCAF’s advocacy focused on three key priorities to modernize regulations, expand workforce access, and improve Medicaid reimbursement rates.

SB 1412/HB 1353 – Home Health Care Services

• Bill Sponsors: Senator Alexis Calatayud (R-Miami) & Representative Gallop Franklin (D-Tallahassee)

As HCAF’s top legislative priority, SB 1412/HB 1353 is a critical reform effort to modernize Florida’s outdated home health laws. These outdated regulations create barriers to care, drive up costs, and contribute to severe workforce shortages. This HCAF-requested legislation removes unnecessary red tape while maintaining strong oversight, ensuring that Florida’s home care agencies can continue to provide high-quality care.

If enacted, SB 1412/HB 1353 would:

• Expand Administrative Efficiency: Eliminates arbitrary geographic restrictions that currently limit home care administrators to overseeing only five agencies. Originally designed to prevent fraud, this rule is now obsolete due to modern compliance tools like electronic health records and real-time monitoring. Removing this restriction improves efficiency, reduces costs, and strengthens oversight.
• Strengthen the Home Care Workforce: Current law limits admission, evaluation, and discharge visits to directly employed registered nurses (RNs), worsening staffing shortages and delaying patient care. This restriction has led to 76% of Medicare home ca referrals in Florida being rejected, forcing more patients into higher-cost institutional settings. SB 1412/HB 1353 corrects this issue by allowing all licensed RNs to perform these visits, ensuring patients receive timely, high-quality care.
• Fix a Broken Quality Recognition Program: The Excellence in Home Health Award program, launched in 2023, was meant to recognize high-performing providers but has never been awarded due to excessive regulatory red tape. SB 1412/HB 1353 streamlines the process, ensuring that agencies meeting high-quality standards can finally achieve the recognition they deserve.

HB 1353 received a major legislative victory on Home Care Day, when it was unanimously approved by the House Health Care Facilities & Systems Subcommittee. The bill now moves to the House Health & Human Services Committee before full House consideration. Meanwhile, SB 1412 is awaiting hearings in the Senate Health Policy, Appropriations Committee on Health and Human Services, and Rules committees.

SB 1156/HB 1529 – Home Health Aide for Medically Fragile Children Program

• Bill Sponsors: Sponsored by Senator Gayle Harrell (R-Stuart) & Representative Chase Tramont (R-Orange Park)

In 2023, the Family Home Health Aide (FHHA) program was established to provide families of medically fragile children with critical in-home support. SB 1156/HB 1529 builds on the program by expanding access to trained caregivers and ensuring better continuity of care.

This legislation would:

• Align FHHA service limits with 12-hour private duty nursing (PDN) shifts, ensuring children receive consistent care throughout the day.
• Cap FHHA hours at 40 per week, allowing limited overtime only when a nurse is unavailable to prevent service gaps with the authorizing plan approving the overtime.
• Seek a federal waiver to exclude FHHA wages from Medicaid eligibility calculations, preventing families from losing critical benefits due to participation in this program.
• Expand access to Medicaid PDN specialty providers, allowing more qualified agencies to participate and increasing provider availability.
• Streamline training requirements, reducing unnecessary coursework and ensuring that family caregivers receive relevant, efficient education.

HB 1529 passed the House Health Care Facilities & Systems Subcommittee on March 11 and now moves to the Health Care Budget Subcommittee and the Health & Human Services Committee before a full House vote. SB 1156 is currently awaiting three Senate committee hearings.

Medicaid Reimbursement Rate Increases: Addressing Florida’s Workforce Crisis

Florida ranks last in the nation for home health and personal care aides per 1,000 seniors, according to the 2024 America’s Health Rankings Senior Report. With 32.5% of the state’s population projected to be 60 or older by 2030, demand for home care is growing rapidly, yet workforce shortages threaten access to care.

A key driver of this crisis is Florida’s outdated Medicaid reimbursement rates, which are among the lowest in the nation. These inadequate rates:

• Fail to cover the actual cost of care, making it financially unsustainable for providers.
• Make recruitment and retention difficult, leading to high turnover and service disruptions.
• Jeopardize access to home-based care, forcing more Medicaid beneficiaries into costlier institutional settings.

HCAF is pushing for  home health, personal care, and PDN rate increases to strengthen the workforce and ensure that home care agencies can continue delivering high-quality care to Florida’s Medicaid recipients.

Take Action: Advocacy Doesn’t End After Home Care Day

Lawmakers are making decisions right now that will shape the future of home care in Florida, and your voice is essential in ensuring they prioritize the needs of providers, caregivers, and the patients who rely on in-home care.

Advocacy is just a few clicks away. Visit HCAF’s Legislative Action Center to email your elected officials directly to amplify the message that home care is a vital part of Florida’s health care system.

The policies being debated in the Florida Legislature will have lasting consequences for the home care industry. Take action today — your advocacy can help protect access to care, strengthen the workforce, and modernize outdated regulations.

Click here to visit the Legislative Action Center and help keep home care a top priority in Florida!

Support the Home Care PAC: Invest in the Future of Home Care

Advocacy requires both action and financial investment. The Home Care Political Action Committee (PAC) plays a vital role in electing and retaining lawmakers who understand the critical role of home care and fight for policies that protect and strengthen the industry. Your contribution directly helps us:

• Build relationships with key lawmakers who influence health care policy.
• Support candidates who prioritize home care providers, caregivers, and the patients they serve.
• Advance policies that improve access to care and strengthen Florida’s home care workforce.

There are no contribution limits, and both businesses and individuals can contribute. Every dollar makes a difference in ensuring Florida’s home care industry remains strong, well-represented, and positioned for success.

Click here to donate today and help secure a stronger future for home care in Florida!