The short answer: Almost everyone on Florida Medicaid gets their benefits through a private health plan chosen from those serving their region. The program is called Statewide Medicaid Managed Care (SMMC). To pick or change a plan, call Florida's free choice counselors at 1-877-711-3662 or go to flmedicaidmanagedcare.com. This guide explains the parts of the program, the plans in each region, and when you can switch.
How Florida Medicaid Managed Care Works
The Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA) runs SMMC in three parts (Source: AHCA):
- Managed Medical Assistance (MMA): doctor visits, hospital care, prescriptions and other medical care. Most Medicaid recipients must enroll.
- Long-Term Care (LTC): nursing home care and help at home, in adult day care or in assisted living. It is for people 65 and older, or 18 and older with a disability, who need nursing-facility level of care. You must enroll to get Medicaid long-term care. (Source: AHCA SMMC overview.) See our Medicaid long-term care guide for income limits and the waitlist.
- Dental: most recipients must join one of two statewide dental plans.
About 4.4 million Floridians are on Medicaid. In March 2026, 3.1 million were in a medical plan, 140,000 in a long-term care plan and 3.3 million in a dental plan. Some groups can choose whether to join, and some cannot join, such as people who get only partial Medicaid help with Medicare costs. (Source: AHCA SMMC Snapshot, March 2026.)
Plan Types Under the 2025–2030 Contracts
The current SMMC contracts began on February 1, 2025, and run through 2030. Plans now come in three types (Source: AHCA plan types):
- Comprehensive Plus: medical care and long-term care in one plan, plus specialty services for people with HIV/AIDS, serious mental illness, or children in the child welfare system.
- MMA Plus: medical care plus specialty services, without long-term care.
- Select Comprehensive: medical care and long-term care for people enrolled in long-term care, without specialty services.
If you are in long-term care, your one plan covers both your medical care and your long-term care.
Florida Medicaid Managed Care Regions and Plans
In February 2025, Florida replaced its 11 numbered Medicaid regions with 9 lettered regions. (Source: AHCA.) Humana, Simply Healthcare and Sunshine Health offer full plans in every region, and DentaQuest and Liberty Dental cover the whole state. The table shows the plans that include long-term care in each region. (Source: AHCA SMMC plan poster.)
Community Care Plan offers medical care with specialty services for serious mental illness, but not long-term care, in regions E through I. Florida Community Care is a Select Comprehensive plan in regions E through H. Plans can change, so confirm with choice counseling before you decide.
Health plan phone numbers
- Aetna Better Health: 1-800-441-5501 (medical), 1-844-645-7371 (long-term care)
- Community Care Plan: 1-866-899-4828
- Florida Community Care: 1-833-322-7526
- Humana Healthy Horizons: 1-800-477-6931 (medical), 1-888-998-7732 (long-term care)
- Molina Healthcare: 1-866-472-4585
- Simply Healthcare: 1-844-406-2396
- Sunshine Health: 1-866-796-0530
- UnitedHealthcare: 1-888-716-8787
- DentaQuest (dental): 1-888-468-5509
- Liberty Dental: 1-833-276-0850
(Source: Florida Medicaid choice counseling.)
How to Choose a Medicaid Plan
- Check your doctors and pharmacy. Ask each plan, or the choice counselor, whether your doctors, specialists, hospital and pharmacy are in its network.
- If you need long-term care, check your providers. Ask whether your home care agency, adult day care center, assisted living facility or nursing home works with the plan.
- Compare extra benefits. Plans can offer services beyond basic Medicaid. Ask each plan what it adds.
- Call choice counseling. Choice counselors work for the state, not a plan. Call 1-877-711-3662 (TDD 1-866-467-4970), Monday through Thursday 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Friday 8 a.m. to 7 p.m., text 357662, or enroll online. You can ask for an in-person visit. (Source: flmedicaidmanagedcare.com.)
When You Can Change Plans
- After your first letter: when you become eligible, the state assigns you a plan. Your letter gives a deadline, about 45 days, to pick a different one. (Source: AHCA.)
- First 120 days: you can change plans for any reason during the first 120 days after you enroll. After that, you stay in the plan for the rest of your 12-month enrollment year. (Source: choice counseling FAQ.)
- Open enrollment: once a year you get a 60-day open enrollment period to change plans without state approval.
- For cause: at other times, you need a reason the state approves, such as problems getting the care you need.
Medicare and Medicaid Together
If you have Medicare and full Medicaid, joining a Medicaid plan does not cancel your Medicare. You can be in both. (Source: choice counseling FAQ.) People with only partial help, such as a Medicare Savings Program, are not enrolled in SMMC plans. (Source: AHCA.) For free, unbiased help comparing Medicare options, call SHINE through the Elder Helpline at 1-800-963-5337.
Problems With Your Plan
Call your plan's member services first. If the problem continues, call the Medicaid Helpline at 1-877-254-1055 (TDD 1-866-467-4970), or file a complaint online. (Source: AHCA Medicaid points of contact.) If you are waiting to get into long-term care, your local Aging and Disability Resource Center manages the waitlist. Some areas also offer PACE as an alternative to a long-term care plan.
Questions About Florida Medicaid Managed Care
What is Florida Medicaid managed care?
Florida's Statewide Medicaid Managed Care (SMMC) program delivers most Medicaid benefits through private health plans. It has three parts: Managed Medical Assistance for doctor and hospital care, Long-Term Care for nursing home and home and community care, and Dental. Most people on Medicaid must join a medical plan and a dental plan.
How do I choose or change my Florida Medicaid plan?
Contact Florida's Medicaid choice counselors at 1-877-711-3662 (TDD 1-866-467-4970), Monday through Thursday 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Friday 8 a.m. to 7 p.m., or enroll online at flmedicaidmanagedcare.com. You can change plans for any reason in the first 120 days after you enroll and during your yearly open enrollment period. At other times you need a state-approved reason.
Will Medicaid managed care cancel my Medicare?
No. Florida's choice counseling program says joining a Medicaid medical or dental plan will not cancel your Medicare, and you can be in both at the same time. People with only partial Medicaid help with Medicare costs are not enrolled in these plans.
Who do I call with a problem with my Medicaid plan?
Start with your health plan's member services line. If that does not fix it, call the Medicaid Helpline at 1-877-254-1055 (TDD 1-866-467-4970) or file a complaint online at flmedicaidmanagedcare.com/complaint.
Disclaimer: This guide is general information. Plans, networks and rules change. Confirm details with Florida Medicaid choice counseling or your plan before you enroll.