KidCare

Florida officials are delaying the implementation of new rules for Florida’s subsidized children’s health insurance, also known as KidCare, so the incoming presidential administration can weigh in.

CMS finally accepted Florida’s application for a waiver, but with the stipulation that the state provides 12 months of continuous coverage. But the state doesn't want to accept the agency's requirements.

The judge dismissed the state's lawsuit against two federal agencies and said the case should instead be an administrative challenge. Next stop is the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Atlanta.

A brief from the Justice Department argues that Florida's lawsuit is “premised on several misapprehensions” about the rule and that a injunction motion should be rejected.

The Biden administration is requiring states give CHIP beneficiaries 12 months of continuous coverage, even if families don't pay monthly premiums. State lawyers say premiums are needed for expansion of coverage signed into law last year.

The move will apply to families in 16 counties designated by FEMA as eligible for federal individual assistance after the storm made landfall Aug. 30.

The law expands subsidized insurance coverage for families of four with incomes up to 300 percent of the federal poverty level, or about $90,000 annually.

State data show that 10% of those who lost coverage were terminated because they were ineligible or hadn’t used Medicaid over the past 12 months. However, 82% of people lost coverage for procedural reasons.

The Florida Senate unanimously approved a plan to expand eligibility for the KidCare subsidized health insurance program, readying the issue to go to Gov. Ron DeSantis.

The Senate Fiscal Policy Committee approved a bill that would increase an income threshold to qualify for subsidized coverage.