Senate Workshops Health Care Solutions for Florida Tuesday, the full Senate attended a workshop to discuss the health care challenges facing the state of Florida. The Senate heard from a panel of experts regarding the Senate’s Plan for Medicaid Sustainability which includes a modified Low Income Pool (LIP) model and the Florida Health Insurance Affordability Exchange (FHIX) program. The FHIX program is a consumer-driven approach to providing access to high-quality, affordable health care coverage while promoting personal responsibility through premium payments and work or education requirements. The Senate Plan directs more funds to increase base hospital rates and more broadly distributes LIP dollars. Amy Baker, Chief Economist with the Office of Economic and Demographic Research provided a presentation on the economic impact of the Senate’s proposed health care solutions. If the Senate’s revised LIP model is not accepted by Washington, D.C., and if the state loses LIP funding, Florida will face economic hardships including the loss of $6.46 billion in federal funding over five years, 20,000 jobs, an exodus of high-skilled health care industry experts, $11 billion in disposable personal income, and $612 million in state revenues. This loss of economic activity will be difficult to mitigate for our state.