Florida Medicaid Estate Recovery

Once a Florida Medicaid recipient dies, the state is obligated to try to recover what it spent on their care. Under the Medicaid Estate Recovery Act, codified at Florida Statutes Section 409.9101, accepting Medicaid creates a repayment obligation only for medical assistance paid after the recipient turned 55 — anything paid before that age creates no debt whatsoever. The Agency for Health Care Administration handles collection through its contractor, Health Management Systems (a Gainwell Technologies company), which files its claim against the recipient's probate estate (Fla. Stat. § 409.9101; Florida Medicaid Estate Recovery Program).