TAMPA, Fla. — State officials say Florida is currently in the process of determining if Medicaid enrollees are still eligible for coverage after more than 250,000 lost coverage earlier this year.

What You Need To Know

  • More than 250,000 Floridians lost their Medicaid coverage earlier this year and many are attempting to re-enroll
     
  • Residents say the process includes wait times for call center help that are so long many people just hang up 

  • Officials with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services say Florida may not be in compliance with federal guidelines 

  • They say Florida is taking too long to process new applications for Medicaid 

Data shows that many of those removed from Medicaid were terminated because of procedural reasons, including not responding to mailed notices, outdated contact information or computer glitches.

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services recently sent the state a letter saying Florida may not be following federal guidelines that require states to provide prompt assistance to those renewing or applying for Medicaid.

The letter also points out that some eligible for coverage, including children, are being denied services, are experiencing long wait times on the phone with call centers, and that new applications are not being processed fast enough. 

Jodi Ray, with the nonprofit Florida Covering Kids and Families — which works to find medical coverage for the uninsured — says families trying to get Medicaid coverage are going through a tough time right now.

“I hate to see this," she said. "I think we lost about 128,000 kids that have been dropped and we’ve only seen a net gain of 6,000 in the Chips Program."

Ray says she helps families find the best solutions and clear up any confusion with their coverage, or lack thereof. 

“We’re seeing a lot of people unsure why they lost coverage," she said. "First of all, a lot of folks can’t understand the letters they are receiving."

Ray says that the state needs to bring in more staff to deal with the massive number of cases and to make sure they are well trained.