The Medicaid Low Income Pool (LIP) is very much an “inside baseball” topic limited to a small universe of health care providers, budget gurus, and policy wonks. But the program is now undergoing major transformation, which impacts all of us, especially victims of Florida's Medicaid coverage gap.
Governor Scott and the Republican-controlled Florida Legislature remain steadfastly opposed to extending Medicaid coverage to Floridians living below poverty ($990 per month for an individual). As a result of extremely harsh politics, over half a million Floridians remain uninsured. This includes parents struggling to stay healthy so they can take care of their children and other workers taking care of all of us — through child care, home health, construction, landscaping, cleaning, food services, and other similar jobs that don't offer health insurance.
So how does LIP fit into this picture? The program began in 2006 as part of a Medicaid demonstration project. Its purpose was to provide a temporary cushion of extra funding for safety net hospitals as Medicaid recipients moved from state-run Medicaid to managed care plans.
