Thousands of low income South Florida children who were denied healthcare through Florida’s Medicaid program will now receive benefits, following a recent lawsuit settlement with Florida state officials.
The class-action lawsuit claimed that Florida’s Department of Health underfunded the Medicaid insurance program for Florida’s needy children, severely restricting access to care for low-income families. In December 2014, a U.S. Circuit court ruled in favor, that the program was operating in violation of federal law.
But it wasn’t until this month’s finalized negotiations that the health department agreed to terms. Under the settlement, Agency for Health Care Administration (ACHA), which oversees the Medicaid program, will create incentives to increase the rates paid to most pediatricians and pediatric specialists providing healthcare to children under the Medicaid program. The settlement also requires that the state launch a promotional program to inform the thousands of families who were previously denied benefits under Medicaid program to now seek assistance.
Fort Lauderdale attorney, Stuart Singer, who led the lawsuit against the state, said because of the settlement, pediatricians and other related doctors under the state Medicaid program could see “up to 40 percent increase in their rates.”
“That’s certainly encouraging news,” says South Miami pediatrician Dr. Cynthia Burgess, who noted that for years several healthcare professionals were reluctant to treat some children who received Medicare, because “the program either took forever to pay the invoices submitted, or didn’t pay at all. Unfortunately, many poor children, including children of migrants from Haiti, other Caribbean countries and Central America, were badly disadvantaged by this.”
The news was also much-welcomed for Miami Shores resident Claude Dessant, who since March 2015 has been unable to secure treatment through Medicaid for his disabled daughter, “creating severe problems for the child.”
With such urgency from so many South Florida families, “hopefully the implementation of this increase won’t be protracted,” says Dr. Burgess. “It’s extremely important that every poor child have access to healthcare through Medicaid. Healthcare professionals will definitely welcome incentives to provide this necessary healthcare.”
