Gov. Ron DeSantis denied Thursday that a $10 million payment to the Hope Florida Foundation as part of a Medicaid payment agreement with health care giant Centene was illegal, instead calling it a “cherry on top”.
The settlement agreement, signed on September 27, 2024, was not disclosed to the Florida Legislature. Leading House Republicans suggested that the payment to the foundation, championed by First Lady Casey DeSantis, may be illegal because it was not disclosed in accordance with state law.
“First of all, this was a settlement,” DeSantis told reporters in Miami. “A good deal was negotiated. When negotiating settlements, you can try to get as much money as possible, but this was in addition to what they were receiving. This is sort of the cherry on top, where they agreed to make an additional contribution, and so we were well served by what AHCA did.”
The $10 million payment, described in the agreement as a “one-time donation” to the Hope Florida Foundation, was included in a $67 million settlement agreement between Centene, the Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA), and the Attorney General’s Office to settle any and all claims “filed, unfiled, or which could be filed,” arising from overpayments for pharmacy benefits or services between 2016 and 2021.
A closer look
The investigation into the Hope Florida Foundation’s finances and the $10 million payment comes as speculation that Casey DeSantis may run for governor grows, as do tensions between DeSantis and top Republicans in the Florida House.
AHCA Secretary Shevaun Harris revealed the settlement agreement and the Centene payment during a lengthy House health care budget committee meeting on Wednesday.
Following the contentious hearing, Harris released a video with other DeSantis administration agency heads calling the House hearing a “ambush.”
During his Miami event, DeSantis slammed press reports about Hope Florida, claiming that House Republicans were orchestrating negative coverage of the program, which aims to “graduate” people from welfare and other government aid to services provided by nonprofits and religious organizations. The foundation backs its work.
House Speaker Daniel Perez defended the hearing, claiming that lawmakers were “seeking transparency” and “answers” to a secret settlement agreement.
“No one is denying that there has been good work and that people have been helped,” Perez said on Wednesday. “There are more questions we need to ask. How was the money received? Where has it gone? How and why was it used? … “We should be able to hold them accountable.”
