Enrollment in Florida’s Medicaid program dropped by about 80,000 people in December, continuing months of declines after the end of a federal public health emergency.
The program totaled 4,866,692 people as of Dec. 31, down from 4,946,551 beneficiaries in November, and 5,105,874 in October, according to data posted on the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration website.
The federal government declared a public health emergency in 2020 as the COVID-19 pandemic began. The federal and state governments jointly fund Medicaid.
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As part of the emergency, Washington agreed to pick up more of the tab for the program. But in exchange for the extra money, states had to agree that they wouldn’t drop people from the Medicaid rolls during the emergency.
Florida’s program grew from about 3.8 million beneficiaries in January 2020 to nearly 5.78 million in April of this year. At least in part, the increase stemmed from the program being unable to drop people who otherwise might not qualify because of their income levels.
With the end of the public health emergency this spring, the state has used what is known as an eligibility “redetermination” process. Enrollment has steadily declined, and the redetermination process is continuing.
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