The vast majority of Hope Florida references have disappeared from a Medicaid managed care contract, the Orlando Sentinel is reporting.

Hope Florida has been under fire for a financial scandal.

The words “Hope Florida” were missing or replaced with phrases like “program navigator” although the meat of the contract was the same, the Sentinel found.

“The earlier version of the contract delineated a role for Hope Florida, a pet project of First Lady Casey DeSantis, in providing a number of specific services to Medicaid recipients, including ‘loneliness services,’” the Sentinel story said.

“It looks like they’re trying to downplay the apparent role Hope Florida has in this plan,” Rep. Alex Andrade, who led a House subcommittee probing Hope Florida in the 2025 Legislative Session, told the newspaper. “It’s unclear whether there is any substance to the changes in the contract or if they are winding down its function. That in itself is odd … It certainly seems misleading. The actual net effect is hard to tell.”

Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA) spokeswoman Mallory McManus told the Sentinel that “Hope Florida remains in the contract” but did not elaborate or respond to the newspaper’s record request.

Hope Florida came under scrutiny this year after news broke the organization was funneled a $10 million Medicaid settlement. Much of that money later ended up in the coffers of a political committee controlled by Gov. Ron DeSantis’ then-Chief of Staff, James Uthmeier to fight the marijuana legalization effort.

Today, Uthmeier is Florida’s Attorney General. Both Ron DeSantis and Uthmeier have fought back and argued they did nothing wrong.

Hope Florida program was also missing in the legislative budget requests for both AHCA and the Department of Children and Families (DCF), Florida Politics reported in September.

“It’s possible they’re trying to simply ‘rebrand’ them or something. Until we have a longer, more in depth discussion with the agencies, I’m not sure which is the case,” said Andrade, a Pensacola Republican.

A pair of Orlando Democrats are pushing to create a professional licensure system for music therapists to help adults and children with disabilities who are losing their music therapies because of Medicaid changes.

Sen. Carlos Guillermo Smith and Rep. Anna Eskamani filed Senate Bill 478/House Bill 829 to set up the Music Therapy Advisory Committee within the Department of Health.

“The move toward licensure is supported by families, providers, and advocates who say it will prevent future coverage gaps, increase oversight, and ensure that Medicaid and other payers can more reliably reimburse qualified professionals,” Smith and Eskamani said in a press release.

The proposed Legislation comes after Medicaid funding changes disrupted people’s services.

“Sunshine Health — which manages the state’s Medicaid funds for expressive therapy — terminated its contract with a third-party administrator effective December 31, 2025, after finding that some providers were not meeting state requirements,” the lawmakers said. “Because Florida does not currently license music therapists, many board-certified practitioners were deemed ineligible for reimbursement or required to obtain a Medicaid ID before they can be paid, leading some providers to cancel services and lay off staff.”

Music therapy helps people with disabilities communicate, work through their emotions  and connect in a way since other therapies can’t reach them, advocates said.

“Music therapy is not optional for children who depend on it, it’s a lifeline,” Smith said. “This legislation strengthens patient access and aligns Florida with at least 20 states who already license music therapy. It would also prevent the type of care disruption experienced this past summer which left thousands of disabled and autistic Florida children without access to successful treatment.”

If the legislation advances, it would take effect Jan. 1, 2027.

“Every Floridian deserves quality, consistent health care, and right now people with disabilities, PTSD, and so many others are losing something that literally gives them a voice,” Eskamani said.