Enrollment in Florida’s Medicaid program dropped by more than 105,000 people in August, continuing decreases after the end of a federal public health emergency stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Enrollment totaled 5,254,460 people in August, down from 5,360,069 in July, according to data posted on the state Agency for Health Care Administration website.
Overall, more than 525,000 people have lost coverage in Florida since the process began.
The totals have decreased since hitting 5,778,536 in April.
During the COVID emergency, the state was unable to remove people from the Medicaid rolls, which meant some beneficiaries stayed in the program while no longer meeting income-eligibility criteria.
But with the emergency ending this spring, federal rules let states start dropping those who no longer qualify.
In April, the state started an "unwinding" process that involved a redetermination of who is eligible that has resulted in “disenrolling” people.
State data has shown more than half of those removed from Medicaid may still qualify and were terminated for so-called “procedural,” reasons, like not responding to mail, outdated contact information or computer glitches.
Many Medicaid recipients in the state are children and low-income parents because Florida did not expand Medicaid.
There have also been concerns about long wait times for people seeking help for redetermination from the state's Department of Children & Families, which is responsible for the process. Studies show that has been affecting Spanish speakers more than English speakers.
Federal officials with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services have warned Florida and other states over problems like call center wait times, which may contribute to a surge in the number of people losing Medicaid health care coverage.
Across the U.S., more than 5 million people have been dropped from Medicaid rolls. All states are working through a backlog of eligibility determinations, which led to the influx of calls to state Medicaid help centers.
Information from WMFE, WLRN and the Associated Press was used in this report.
