Medically Needy Program saved from chopping block
BY MICHELLE L. START Florida Weekly Correspondent

Established in 1986, Florida's Medically Needy Program is no stranger to the chopping block during state budget crunches.

The program's budget, along with several others, was slated to be cut in order to make up a $3 billion shortfall but legislators salvaged it once again. They opted to fund that program, and Medicaid Aged and Disabled coverage, with a $300 million cash infusion from the reserves.

The decision was made after thousands of petitions were delivered to legislators in an ambulance and hospitals across the state prepared to send more. Had the two programs been cut, Lee Memorial Health System said it would have resulted in a loss of $11 million to $12 million annually.

The program's funding was also slated to be slashed at the end of 2006 and during the 2002-2003 fiscal budgeting process.

The Medically Needy Program provides short-term medical assistance to Floridians who had catastrophic medical expenses. About 20,000 people, like Tabitha Quinn, benefit from the program.

"Financially, I'm struggling really hard," said Quinn, who is a single mom raising a 7-year-old daughter with spina bifida and two other children. "We have to travel so much. Not all of her doctors are local. My daughter requires a lot of medical attention. A lot of the things are not covered and we come out of pocket quite a bit. She's had 10 surgeries."

Because of her financial situation, Quinn has not been able to afford health care coverage for herself. When she became ill, she had no option but to go to the emergency rooms for treatment and now has excessive medical bills.

A few months back, though, she was told that she qualified for the medically needy program and was signed up. Shortly afterwards, she became ill and needed gall bladder surgery.

"I was sitting there crying. I didn't think it would be covered," said Quinn, 26. "I had to go to the hospital. I hadn't even seen a doctor since I last gave birth."

When she found out that the program covered her surgery, Quinn was relieved.

Southwest Floridians like Quinn would have gone without medical care or would have had to rely on the hospitals' charity programs had the program been cut.