Florida's taxpayers and health care consumers can't afford the appointment of a solely political appointee to head the Agency for Health Care Administration. We urge you to appoint a new AHCA Secretary who will rise to the challenges presented by our inadequate health care system and our strained but vital Medicaid program.

More than two million of the most vulnerable Floridians depend upon Medicaid to access care that enables them to lead healthy and productive lives. Your new AHCA Secretary must therefore be ready for and fully committed to protect Medicaid recipients before the Legislature, remove persistent barriers that inhibit access, and push for transparency and accountability in the health delivery system.

Your new Secretary must also embrace an organizational culture that considers health consumers as the Agency's primary customers and stakeholders.

Finally, in anticipation of the passage of national health care reform, your appointee must be up to the challenges that may be ushered in by reform, especially a potentially dramatic expansion of the Medicaid program.

For the sake of Florida and its residents, please appoint a Secretary with a demonstrated belief in AHCA's mission of providing better health care for all Floridians, along with the experience and dedication necessary to fulfill that mission.