Florida Medicaid providers have until October 1, 2022, to submit the required supplemental wage agreement to ensure compliance with the $15 Medicaid minimum wage requirement.

Click here to access a related provider alert issued by the Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA) on Monday, August 29, 2022.

• Resource: Florida Medicaid Health Care Alerts Archive

On June 2, 2022, Governor Ron DeSantis signed the Freedom First budget for Florida's 2022-23 fiscal year. The Freedom First Budget provided over $600 million in funding to AHCA for the sole purpose of increasing the minimum wage for employees of Medicaid providers to at least $15 an hour.

To distribute the funds appropriated for the Medicaid provider minimum wage requirement, AHCA has been directed to increase Medicaid managed care reimbursement rates and certain Medicaid fee-for-service fee schedules. The Agency is also required to enter into a supplemental wage agreement with each impacted Medicaid provider by October 1, 2022, to ensure compliance with the minimum wage requirements.

• Related News: Florida Medicaid Prepares as New Minimum Wage Approaches for Direct Care Workers (Florida Politics, 8/30/22)

For more information about the mandate requirements, frequently asked questions, fee schedules, the supplemental wage agreement and instructions, and more, access the minimum wage portal here. Medicaid providers are highly recommended to bookmark and check the portal regularly for updates. If you submit a question through the portal, please let us know so we can track it to ensure a timely response.