Plan would change payments for mental health care


Save Story
Leer en español

Estimated read time: Less than a minute

This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — The Florida Legislature is considering a plan that would change the way the state pays to treat people who need emergency mental health care, a move critics say would gut the current system to benefit large hospital systems.

Under the current system, the state Department of Children and Families contracts with 117 public and private Crisis Stabilization Units around the state. They provide emergency mental health treatment, receiving nearly $300 a day per bed regardless of whether they are occupied.

The new bill (SB 1726) would cut the guaranteed funding by 75 percent and any excess patients would be sent to private hospitals, which would be paid about $1,200 per day for every patient they treat. They wouldn't be paid for unused beds.

Copyright © The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Most recent Business stories

Related topics

Business
STEVE MILLER

    STAY IN THE KNOW

    Get informative articles and interesting stories delivered to your inbox weekly. Subscribe to the KSL.com Trending 5.
    By subscribing, you acknowledge and agree to KSL.com's Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
    Newsletter Signup

    KSL Weather Forecast

    KSL Weather Forecast
    Play button