Florida ABA Providers Protest Molina Healthcare Over Unpaid Medicaid Claims
- If we don't receive any payment, how long can I be working without payment?
- Perez's agency relies on Medicaid funding disbursed through Florida's Children's Medical Services program.
- Medical attorney Henry Marines said Perez's situation is far from isolated.
If we don’t receive any payment, how long can I be working without payment? I try because I know they need me. He needs me,
registered behavioral technician Arlene Perez said. Perez has spent the past five years providing daily support to 12-year-old Isaiah, who is on the autism spectrum, but she has not received a single paycheck for a month following a state Medicaid vendor switch in Florida.
Medicaid Administrator Transition Disrupts Applied Behavior Analysis Funding
Perez’s agency relies on Medicaid funding disbursed through Florida’s Children’s Medical Services program. On October 1, the state appointed Molina Healthcare as the new administrator responsible for distributing funds to Applied Behavior Analysis providers. Most of the agency’s claims have remained unprocessed since the switch, leading Perez and fellow providers to rally outside Molina’s Doral office to demand answers.
Providers Go Unpaid
Medical attorney Henry Marines said Perez’s situation is far from isolated. Marines communicates with nearly 700 providers who report the exact same financial freeze. I have almost 700 providers that we communicate with, and they all say the same thing. They haven’t been paid,
Marines said. He expressed confusion over the payment backlog, noting that Molina should have received state funding allocated for each recipient at the start of the month. They already know beforehand exactly how many recipients or how many members they are gonna receive under the CMS,
Marines added.
State Agency Investigates While Families Face Care Anxieties
Molina Healthcare has not responded to requests for comment regarding the delayed disbursements. A spokesperson for Florida’s Agency for Health Care Administration confirmed that state oversight is underway. The Agency is actively investigating payment concerns raised by ABA providers regarding the October 1 transition of services to Molina,
the AHCA spokesperson said. The payment delay has left parents anxious about potential disruptions to their children’s care. Joyce Jackson, Isaiah’s mother, fears the unpaid claims could force her son’s provider out of business. It’s gonna be hard to meet a new person and get used to that new person,
Jackson said.
Upcoming Legal and Executive Meetings Planned
Marines indicated it is likely too early to take legal action over the unprocessed claims. Instead, he plans to meet with senior executive leadership at Molina soon to seek a resolution.