Florida

SCI Policy Planning Grant

In 2002 Florida's Agency for Healthcare Administration (AHCA) was awarded a SCI Policy Planning Grant. This grant focused on the expansion of health insurance coverage under Florida 's new Local Communities Flexible Health Care Coverage Expansion (Health Flex) program. Health Flex was established in 2002 to encourage development of "alternative approaches to traditional health insurance, emphasizing coverage for basic and preventive health care services." As of June 2005, the state had approved four Health Flex plan applications.

The SCI policy planning grant provided AHCA with necessary information and tools to significantly address the uninsured problem through this highly flexible, private-public partnership program. Grant funds were used to:

• Establish fundamental communication channels between major state and local stakeholders; and
• Develop and provide templates of flexible benefit design and alternate sources of financing for the individual communities that are the key targets of Health Flex.