The Florida House of Representatives passed a bill on Friday that would overhaul the state's Medicaid program, according to The New York Times.

Florida is home to one of the largest pools of Medicaid recipients in the country and spends a reported $21 billion to provide care for the under insured and those without health insurance.

Senate Majority Leader Democrat Andy Gardiner expressed the importance of the reform to both the state and its residents. The bill will "transform the current system into one that is more sustainable and patient-centered," Senator Gardiner told the media outlet.

The bill, which is sponsored by the Republican Senator Joe Negron, would require a shift from a traditional Medicaid structure to one that relies on managed care to curb costs and improve patient experience by regulating services and eliminating the fee-for-service system currently in place, according to the news source.

"Medicaid has grown faster than any other part of our budget," Senator Negron told The New York Times. “It is crowding out funding for education, economic development and other parts of the budget that are equally important."

If approved by the federal government, the bill is projected to save the state $1.1 billion in its first year.