For this reason, questions are being raised concerning the health of some of the neediest populations within the state.
The end of continuous enrollment
During the COVID-19 pandemic, a continuous enrollment policy under the Families First Coronavirus Response Act denied states the ability to take people off Medicaid to ensure continued access to health care. The result was the record enrollment gains nationwide. That policy ended in March 2023, with states resuming regular eligibility redeterminations, featuring massive disenrollment.
Impact on Florida
Florida has experienced some of the most dramatic drops in Medicaid and CHIP enrollment. According to numbers from the State Agency for Health Care Administration, there were 1.3 million fewer people on Florida’s Medicaid rolls at the end of May 2024 compared to the beginning of the unwinding process.
This is most disturbing for children. It is estimated that in Florida alone, there have been close to 542,600 children losing Medicaid coverage during this time period.
Procedural issues contributing to the disenrollment
Most of these disenrollments have been attributed to procedural issues rather than changes in eligibility. Some reasons people have lost coverage include unreturned mail, outdated contact information, and misunderstandings about the renewal process.
“We are seeing a high volume of errors being made in the eligibility determinations,” Lynn Hearn, director of advocacy at the Florida Health Justice Project, said last year. “We see these in our individual practice, and we learned some additional information about these types of errors during the litigation.”
Read now: One Social Security change every worker should make in 2025 to increase their benefits in the future
Legal actions and advocacy efforts
These have subsequently seen lawsuits filed to challenge the process for its procedural inadequacies in the process of disenrollment. In August 2023, two families filed a suit against the state of Florida for allegedly terminating their children’s Medicaid coverage without proper notice during the unwinding process. The plaintiffs said proper notice was not given so they could understand the agency’s determination and plan for an eventless transition of coverage.
Read more: Extra Social Security payments up to $1,000 are coming – but could take some time
The way forward
State agencies, health care providers, and community organizations need to collaborate in this continuous process of unwinding to ensure that eligible people continue coverage. Smoothing out renewal processes, helping them through navigation, and having better communication will go a long way toward easing the blow these disenrollments inflict on those most in need in Florida.
