Problems with Florida’s Medicaid Unwind; Lived Experience of Floridians Losing Medicaid

MIAMI, FL     After the pandemic-related moratorium on Medicaid terminations ended on March 31 2023, states returned the pre-pandemic operations, including terminations of those who either fail to complete the renewal on time or who the state determines are no no longer eligible. This year-long process is also called “the Medicaid unwind.”   Between May and November, almost a million Florida Medicaid recipients lost coverage;  and hundreds of thousands more will lose coverage in the coming months.

While the State’s official website proudly boasts about the number of texts and emails sent; claims that every ineligible child was referred to Florida Healthy Kids and that protections are in place for those whose coverage ends, the lived experience of Floridians going through the unwind tells a different story.

Desperate parents and caregivers have contacted the Florida Health Justice Project (FHJP) when they or their child(ren) suddenly lost coverage.  Many shared their experiences in confidence; some shared their story on our website; a few have shared their stories with leading national and state media outlets, including the New York Times, ABC News, the AP & CNN; and two Florida parents told their story to a federal court judge in a class action lawsuit challenging the inadequacy of Florida’s termination notices.

This short video, the first in a 2-part series  with the National Health Law Program, summarizes how Floridians have struggled with Florida’s unwind problems including:

• Unintelligible notices
• Unavailable call center
• Uninformed staff
• Medically complex kids prematurely cut off
• Erroneous terminations, including children, pregnant & postpartum women and profoundly disabled adults

In Part 2 of the video series, lawyers for the National Health Law Program and FHJP will explain why the class action is so important and their health law partnership (HLP).

Reporters interested in speaking with attorneys at FHJP about this video should contact Miriam Harmatz at harmatz@floridahealthjustice.org or Lynn Hearn at hearn@floridahealthjustice.org
Floridians who have lost Medicaid coverage or are in danger of losing coverage can request an assessment and advice from the Florida Health Justice Project here.

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