Florida
Florida’s Medicaid Disaster: 1.3 Million Cut From Coverage, One of the Highest Disenrollment Rates in the U.S.
Between March 2023 and October 2024, Florida saw a sharp drop in Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) enrollment, going from 5.1 million to 3.8 million participants. According to the Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF), that’s a staggering loss of about 1.3 million people – the biggest drop seen in many states.
This all started with the Families First Coronavirus Response Act in March 2020, which ensured people stayed on Medicaid throughout the pandemic, skipping the usual eligibility checks. That meant Florida’s Medicaid numbers shot up from 3.8 million in early 2020 to 5.5 million by late 2022, as reported by the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration.
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Then, in December 2022, Congress passed the Consolidated Appropriations Act, which separated Medicaid’s continuous coverage rule from the public health emergency. That meant states could start checking eligibility again as of April 1, 2023.
Florida’s Department of Children and Families (DCF) quickly got to work reviewing cases, and by the end of 2023, more than 911,000 people – including about 420,000 children – had lost their coverage, according to Health News Florida.
On a national level, as of September 2024, over 25 million people had been disenrolled from Medicaid since the renewal process restarted. Some states, like Montana, saw disenrollment rates as high as 57%, while North Carolina’s was just 12%.
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The rate in Florida was 38%, one of the highest in the country. According to KFF, about 64% of those dropped from coverage in Florida weren’t actually deemed ineligible – they just missed paperwork deadlines or had issues completing the renewal process.
This kind of procedural disenrollment can happen for all sorts of reasons – maybe a family moved and didn’t get a notice in the mail, or they didn’t realize they needed to reapply.
Administrative errors have also played a role. Lynn Hearn, director of advocacy at the Florida Health Justice Project, told Health News Florida, “We are seeing a high volume of errors being made in the eligibility determinations.”
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The biggest concern is how children have been affected. Between April 2023 and April 2024, Florida saw a net drop of 647,243 kids and young adults (under 20) from Medicaid.
Florida
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Florida
SNAP benefits will be changing in Florida starting Monday
TAMPA, Fla – New SNAP restrictions will start Monday in Florida.
What we know:
These changes will ban the purchase of many sugary sodas, energy drinks, candy and ultra-processed, shelf-stable prepared desserts.
Hunger Free America, an advocacy group, is against these restrictions.
Joel Berg, the CEO, said some regulation is a good thing, but he wants to see it support access to healthy foods as a choice.
“We do support mandates to mandate that healthier food is available in stores that do accept SNAP,” Berg said. “So, it makes a lot more sense to make it easier to get healthier food.”
Berg said these restrictions are unnecessary in achieving a healthier America.
“We should make America healthier again by making healthy food more affordable, convenient and physically available,” Berg said. “We shouldn’t micromanage the eating patterns of adults to try to achieve that goal.”
The other side:
This is part of the Make America Healthy Again initiative.
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins said, “Under the MAHA initiative, we are taking bold, historic steps to reverse the chronic disease epidemic that has taken root in this country for far too long.”
What they’re saying:
Berg said that these changes, on top of cuts to the program nationwide, will increase hunger.
“It’s not that low-income Americans don’t want healthier food; it’s that they can’t afford healthier food,” Berg said.
This coincides with the announcement that there will be cuts to WIC, the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children, which supplies food to mothers and young children.
“President Trump’s budget just announced that he’s proposing taking away fruits and vegetables from the WIC program for pregnant women and children under five,” Berg said. “So, they’re taking away healthier food.”
The WIC cuts would take away $1.4 billion in fruit and vegetable benefits from 5.4 million people.
Big picture view:
The SNAP changes come as part of the MAHA movement and include more than 20 other states that will implement changes over the next two years.
The Source: Information in this story comes from WIC, SNAP and interviews done by Fox 13’s Danielle Zulkosky.
Florida
GALLERY: Barrett-Jackson ‘Super Saturday’ takes over South Florida Fairgrounds
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (CBS12) — The engines are revving for one final day of high-stakes bidding and family fun at the South Florida Fairgrounds.
Barrett-Jackson’s Palm Beach auction reaches its grand finale today with an action-packed “Super Saturday” lineup, promising to close out the weekend with a full slate of collector car sales, live entertainment, and fan attractions.
“Super Saturday,” presented by Seminole Casino Coconut Creek, officially kicks off at 8 a.m. when gates, food courts, and the exhibitor marketplace open to the public.
What to expect
- 8:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.: The Fantasy Bid presented by Dodge begins early, running in tandem with the automobilia auction in the arena.
- 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.: Thrill-seekers can catch Dodge thrill rides on the Barrett-Jackson Performance Track.
- 10:00 a.m.: New amenities open to the public, including the Stella Artois, Staging Lanes, and Food Court patios, which offer shaded seating and auction views.
- 10:45 a.m.: The national anthem will be performed in the auction arena, signaling the start of the main collector car auction at 11 a.m.
- Afternoon Entertainment: DJ sets run from noon to 5 p.m. across the various patios, and a detailing clinic by Adam’s Polishes is scheduled for 2 p.m. near the South Showcase.
For those unable to attend, the whole event will be livestreamed throughout the day on the Barrett-Jackson website and the HISTORY channel from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Today’s finale comes on the heels of a high-energy Friday that saw significant sales and notable celebrity interest.
Star power was evident throughout the day, particularly with vehicles tied to the Busch family. A 1957 Ford Thunderbird Convertible owned by Samantha Busch and a 1969 Oldsmobile 442 Custom Coupe were among the day’s heavy hitters, each fetching $159,500. Kyle Busch’s 1956 Chevrolet Bel Air Custom Coupe also drew a strong bid, selling for $143,000.
Other Friday highlights included:
- 1968 Ford Mustang Eleanor Replica: $137,500
- 2004 Dodge Viper SRT-10 Mamba Edition: $132,000
- 1972 Chevrolet K5 Blazer Custom SUV: $126,500
- 1957 Ford Thunderbird Custom Convertible: $121,000
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With a festival-style atmosphere and high-profile sales driving momentum, organizers expect a busy crowd for the final push at the auction block today.
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