Florida’s KidCare expansion in limbo as number of uninsured children jumps 20%

A state plan to expand subsidized health insurance for kids has remained in limbo for almost two years despite rising demand for coverage as more Florida children lose health insurance. About 8.5% of Florida children — roughly 403,000 kids — had no health coverage last year, according to an analysis of census data from Georgetown University’s Center for Children and Families . That’s a 20% spike from 2022. The analysis covers the two-year period after the state resumed Medicaid eligibility checks for the first time since the pandemic. During that span, more than 500,000 children were dropped from the federal program, it states. The report’s findings have spurred calls for Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration to resolve a dispute that began during Joe Biden’s presidency and halted an expansion of KidCare, a subsidized children’s health insurance program. Health care advocates expected that Trump’s 2024 election victory, which ensured GOP administrations in Washington, D.C., and Tallahassee, would deliver a quick resolution of the dispute. Eight months into Trump’s term, few signs indicate that the two GOP administrations are cooperating or that KidCare is a priority. “Kids are still waiting,” said Joan Alker , a research professor and executive director of the Georgetown center, during a news conference this week. “This is crazy.” State lawmakers voted two years ago to expand KidCare to the children of families that make up to 300% of the federal poverty level , roughly $96,000 for a family of four. The bill, signed into law by DeSantis, was aimed at providing health coverage for children whose families earn too much to qualify for Medicaid. It would make an estimated 42,000 more Florida children eligible. Set to become effective at the start of 2024, the law was delayed because Florida did not apply for a waiver required by the federal government, which subsidizes the program. The delay stretched into a second year when Florida sued the federal government in January over a rule that prevented states from kicking children off the health insurance plans when their parents miss a premium payment. Introduced by the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid during the Biden administration, the rule was among a series of measures intended to provide at least a year of continuous health coverage for children. The DeSantis administration argued that the federal government overstepped its authority and warned that the proposed changes would create a “free-for-all,” jeopardizing the program’s financial stability. It was the only state to challenge the rule.Federal Judge Mary S. Scriven agreed to pause the lawsuit in July but ordered that the parties provide an update by Friday. A response filed last week by Brett Shumate, an assistant attorney general for the Department of Justice, asked that the case remain closed for the time being. When contacted for comment, the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid sent an email stating it does not comment on matters in litigation. The Florida Agency for Health Care Administration, which administers KidCare for Florida children, declined to answer questions on whether it is working with its federal counterpart to end the dispute and why it hasn’t moved ahead with the expansion anyway. “Our Agency is committed to working with (the U.S. Centers for Medicare and and Medicaid) to ensure that those who meet the requirements of the Kidcare program are able to access the services,” the agency’s deputy chief of staff Mallory McManus said in an email. Florida’s continued failure to expand KidCare is hurting children and their families across the state, said Scott Darius, executive director of Florida Voices for Health. “Here we are in September 2025 and it hasn’t been implemented,” he said. “It’s Florida’s children with disabilities and chronic conditions, long-term illnesses and their families who are suffering unnecessarily at this moment.” Meanwhile, Florida is continuing to disenroll children from KidCare because their parents missed a premium payment, a violation of the federal rule. Roughly 43,000 children were booted from the program over a year-long period ending in July, according to records obtained through the public records law by the Florida Health Justice Project. Almost 26,000 of those were later re-enrolled. Roughly 250,000 children receive subsidized health coverage through KidCare. Another 50,000 children are enrolled and paying full premiums. Subsidized monthly premiums can reach $20 depending on household income. Some families pay nothing at all. Fort Myers 10-year-old Hayden Blake would be eligible for Kidcare if it were expanded, his mother Jennifer Blake Wiedmeyer said this week.Hayden was born with a rare chromosome disease that caused numerous health issues. He has no sinus, which makes his immune system weak, and has five heart defects. He also has DiGeorge syndrome, a genetic disorder characterized by developmental delays, and was being treated by 13 specialists. When she tried to book a medical appointment for Hayden in late 2023, Blake Wiedmeyer learned that her son had been dropped from Children’s Medical Services, a subsidized program for children with complex medical needs. She later found it was because her household income exceeded eligibility criteria. Hayden has been uninsured since, she said, and has missed critical follow-up care, including an echocardiogram. “These are life saving checkups,” she said. “Had KidCare expansion been implemented when it was passed almost two years ago, Hayden would already be covered. Instead, we’ve been left in limbo.”

Florida’s KidCare expansion in limbo as number of uninsured children jumps 20%

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Florida’s KidCare expansion in limbo as number of uninsured children jumps 20%

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