A huge number of Floridians who received healthcare benefits during the Covid-19 outbreak are in danger of losing them. However, as the state attempts to restore enrollment to pre-pandemic levels, more than one million Floridians could lose their Medicaid coverage this year.
More Than a Million to Lose Benefits
On April 1, the state may begin removing participants who no longer qualify for the program. Since the federal government demanded that anyone enrolled in Medicaid receive continuous coverage in 2020, the state won’t be able to do this until then. That was altered by a clause in a spending package that was passed late last year, allowing states to start removing claimants this spring who are no longer eligible.
A source posted that the Florida Department has already identified about 900,000 people as ineligible for the state’s Medicaid program owing to changes in income, age, or other circumstances.
Another 850,000 Medicaid beneficiaries, according to DCF, are at risk of losing their coverage because they haven’t complied with demands for updated information. Joan Alker, executive director of Georgetown University’s Center for Children and Families, anticipates that many may not have heard or understood the communication, even if some may have recently obtained alternative health insurance.
Alker is particularly concerned about Florida’s children because they make up the majority of the state’s Medicaid recipients. Therefore, to proceed with renewals, the Department of Children and Families, responsible for evaluating Medicaid eligibility, recently issued a plan.
The State and People Suffer
While more than a million Floridians worry about losing their benefits, DeSantis keeps advocating for the idea of hard work. About two weeks ago, the Republican made headlines when he declared that he would forbid public high schools from introducing a new Advanced Placement course in African American history.
DeSantis could take action in this regard, but he has declined. His government is currently implementing a plan that some analysts fear could worsen the issue, according to a report.
Florida residents without insurance suffer because they accumulate debt, forgo necessary care, or do both when they can’t afford their medical bills. The state also loses out because its workforce becomes sicker and less productive, and the burden of providing charity care for its hospitals, clinics, and other medical safety net components increases.
