Following the conclusion of the federal public health emergency declared in 2020 due to COVID-19 pandemic, Florida’s Medicaid program saw a significant increase in beneficiaries. From roughly 3.8 million in January 2020 to nearly 5.78 million in April 2023, individuals who may not have qualified based on income levels were not dropped from the program. However, after the termination of the emergency, Florida implemented an eligibility redetermination process that resulted in hundreds of thousands of people being removed from the program. Enrollment numbers as of February decreased to about 4.8 million, according to data available on the state Agency for Health Care Administration website.
A potential class-action lawsuit was brought by attorneys representing Medicaid beneficiaries in August, alleging that the state failed to adequately notify individuals before discontinuing their enrollment in the health care program. The lawsuit is based on the termination of the federal public health emergency last spring and the subsequent implementation of an eligibility redetermination process by Florida’s Medicaid program. An amended version of the lawsuit was filed in January, and a trial has been scheduled for May 13 by U.S District Judge Marcia Morales Howard from Jacksonville as indicated by a court docket.
