U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor of Tampa is among the Florida Democratic lawmakers calling on Gov. Ron DeSantis to take action before more than 1 million Floridians are kicked off Medicaid.
The continuous enrollment Medicaid provision ends Saturday. The provision allowed millions of Americans to receive Medicaid after losing their job at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic by ensuring no one could be unenrolled in the program.
Castor is urging DeSantis to make use of Florida’s Affordable Care Act marketplace to help families remain covered. The move would have health care navigators guide thousands of children and families toward health care plans after they are kicked off Medicaid, Castor says.
Castor is not only asking the governor to embrace Medicaid, but also expand it.
“If Gov. DeSantis expanded Medicaid through the American Rescue Plan, the state could draw down an additional $3.5 billion over a two-year period. It would help us prevent more coverage losses during this redetermination period,” Castor says.
The American Rescue Plan is a COVID-19 stimulus package signed into law in 2021 by President Joe Biden.
Since the beginning of the federal public health emergency declared over COVID, as a requirement to receive additional funding from the federal government, Florida has provided Medicaid coverage and has not disenrolled ineligible recipients.
Medicaid is jointly funded by state and federal governments. The emergency helped lead to a surge in enrollment.
