Florida focuses on expanding kids’ health insurance, not Medicaid

Florida is unlikely to expand Medicaid this year, as North Carolina and other Republican states have done recently, but lawmakers are taking steps. They say they will expand health care to more children from low-income families.

About $76 million is set aside in the House’s proposed budget to encourage more pediatricians to treat children on Medicaid. Also, legislation passing Congress will expand the number of families covered by the subsidized children’s health insurance program.

But the move falls short of what medical advocates warn is necessary, as Florida began sweeping its Medicaid roster next month. At least 900,000 Floridians could lose their health insurance, including

Defenders want Florida to emulate North Carolina, and Gov. Roy Cooper signed into law on Monday expanding Medicaid coverage to an estimated 600,000 residents. The bill passed Republican-controlled state legislatures, overturning longstanding opposition to expanding federal programs.

“North Carolina legislators were really brave and did the right thing and did the right thing,” said Holly Bullard, chief strategy and development officer at the nonpartisan nonprofit Florida Institute for Policy Studies. ‘There’s no reason why Florida can’t be done’

Florida legislators say they don’t want to increase reliance on benefits programs.

At a press conference on Friday when asked about expanding Medicaid, House Speaker Paul Renner said, “A better way is to reduce the cost of medical, private and other insurance, increasing access while maintaining quality. That’s it,” he said.

The proposed House budget would secure about $31 million in general revenue and about $45 million from the Medical Trust Fund, giving higher reimbursement rates than Medicaid gives to doctors treating children.

Republican lawmakers Through KidCare, a suite of children’s health insurance programs, we are pushing legislation to make more families eligible for health insurance subsidies. Currently, only children from families earning less than 200% of her federal poverty level are eligible. For a family of three, that cap is just under $50,000 for her, according to a Senate analysis. The bill, if approved, would cover families with incomes up to three times her federal poverty level.

Subsidies reduce monthly premiums to just $15 per month. child. Without it, KidCare costs $259 per child per month.

The bill would make an additional 42,000 children eligible for KidCare, according to a House analysis based on 2021 data. It’s unclear how many more children will qualify for Kidcare after Medicaid rollback begins. In 2021, approximately 327,000 Florida children did not have health insurance.

“Our goal is not to perpetuate or increase the amount of social benefit, but to help people exceed social benefit and achieve economic self-sufficiency,” the Senate bill said. said R-Miami Senator Alexis Calatayud, the sponsor.

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Karatayud said the goal is to create a path that adults can keep climbing.she The idea was not inspired by the upcoming removal of the Medicaid role, but rather a long-standing effort driven by Renner, he said.

Lawmakers argue even modest income increases, such as a $1-an-hour pay raise, mean families are disqualified, potentially denying pay increases or withdrawing benefits for their children. are doing.

KidCare’s expansion has been welcomed by the Florida Institute for Policy Studies, but the Orlando nonprofit says some new registrants will have to experience a difficult two-month delay before their care is covered. Bullard said he warns that there are many.

Her group and others are also warning about the number of Floridians who will be kicked out of Medicaid this year.

KidCare typically grows by about 3% each year, according to House’s analysis. However, in fiscal year 2023-24, growth of around 77% is expected as more families lose coverage.

An estimated more than 900,000 Floridians (about 4% of the state’s population) would be eligible for Medicaid if Florida expanded eligibility as allowed under the Affordable Care Act, according to the Institute It will be.

It will cost the state about $500,000, but will save more than $200 million a year because it qualifies for more reimbursement from the federal government, according to the Institute’s analysis.a study The Commonwealth Fund, conducted by conservative Leavitt Partners, found that expanding federal programs could save states $300 million over five years.

Florida is also missing federal incentives that would give the state $3.5 billion in the first two years after the expansion, Bullard said.

Research suggests that children’s health improves when parents also receive care, she said.

“Because we are non-extended, they don’t have that channel,” she said. “If they lived in North Carolina, they would have that opportunity.”