Advocates are calling for Florida to pause Medicaid enrollments and reinstate coverage for eligible children, as the state defends itself against a potential class action lawsuit.
In a letter sent to Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis Oct. 10, 50 advocacy groups, led by the Florida Policy Institute, asked the state to provide 12 months of continuous Medicaid coverage for eligible children, reinstate children disenrolled from Medicaid for procedural reasons, and pause procedural terminations until long call center wait times and other issues can be resolved.
The state is facing a potential class-action lawsuit from families accusing the state of terminating their Medicaid coverage without proper notice or a chance to contest the decision. In a lawsuit filed Aug. 22, two families said they received confusing and contradictory information from the state on Medicaid reenrollment. The plaintiffs are asking the judge to pause redeterminations in the state until "timely and legally adequate" notices are sent to those disenrolled.
On Oct. 6, attorneys for the state asked a judge to reject the plaintiff's request for class-action status in the lawsuit and a temporary injunction, the South Florida Sun-Sentinel reported.
The attorneys argued even if technical violations happened on a "case-by-case basis," the families could not demonstrate the violations warrant pausing Medicaid disenrollments and reinstating coverage for those disenrolled statewide, the newspaper reported.
As of Oct. 2, Florida has disenrolled over 700,000 people through the redeterminations process, according to KFF. The state has renewed coverage for 1.4 million people.
Of those disenrolled in Florida, 55 percent had their coverage terminated for procedural reasons, rather than being determined ineligible for the program, according to KFF.
Nationwide, around 7.8 million people have been disenrolled from Medicaid since continuous coverage requirements in place during the COVID-19 pandemic ended in May.