SMMC Long-Term Care in Florida: How the Medicaid Home Care Program Works

SMMC LTC — Statewide Medicaid Managed Care Long-Term Care — is a name that doesn’t exactly roll off the tongue. But if your family needs Medicaid-funded home care in Florida, this is the program that makes it happen. Understanding how SMMC LTC works, which plans administer it, and what services it covers is the foundation for everything that follows.

What SMMC LTC Is

SMMC LTC is Florida’s Medicaid managed care program for long-term services and supports. It replaced the earlier waiver-based system and brought all Medicaid long-term care under managed care plans. If your loved one is on Florida Medicaid and needs ongoing home care — not short-term post-hospital recovery, but sustained daily support — SMMC LTC is the program.

The “managed care” part means the state contracts with private health plans to administer benefits. Your loved one enrolls in a specific plan, and that plan manages their home care services: authorizing the type and number of hours, assigning a case manager, and connecting the family with providers like CareChoice.

Which Plans Serve Miami

In the Miami-Dade area, the primary SMMC LTC plans include Humana Long-Term Care and Sunshine Health Long-Term Care. Additional plans may serve the region depending on current state contracts. Each plan has its own provider network, case management approach, and authorization process.

In our experience establishing CareChoice in Miami, the plan your loved one enrolls with affects how quickly services start and how responsive the case management team is. If your loved one has a choice of plans, ask about case manager caseloads, how quickly in-home assessments are scheduled, and whether the plan has CareChoice in its provider network.

Services Covered

SMMC LTC covers personal care, homemaker services, companion/sitter services, adult day health care, home-delivered meals, personal emergency response systems, respite care, skilled nursing, assistive care services, and home accessibility adaptations.
The case manager develops a care plan based on your loved one’s assessed needs. The plan specifies which services are authorized and how many hours per week.

Agency-Directed vs. Participant-Directed

SMMC LTC offers two service delivery models.

Agency-directed is the standard model — and CareChoice’s primary approach in Miami. The agency (CareChoice) employs the home care aides, manages scheduling, provides training and supervision, and ensures continuity of care. The family’s role is to communicate needs and provide feedback.

Participant-Directed Option (PDO) gives the member more control — they can hire, manage, and direct their own caregiver, similar to PDS in Pennsylvania or CDS in Texas. However, Florida has stricter rules than some other states:
members in the same household as the caregiver face restrictions on the PDO model. CareChoice accepts PDO arrangements in Miami, but agency-directed care is the more straightforward path for most families.

Getting Started

Confirm Florida Medicaid eligibility → request a CARES assessment → enroll in an SMMC LTC plan → receive a care plan from the case manager → begin services through CareChoice.

Contact CareChoice → Miami team

Written by Sophia Aloia, Content & SEO Manager | CareChoice