Change to Florida Medicaid leads to complaints. How it could affect kids' checkups

By
Michelle Marchante Miami Herald (TNS)
Published Earlier today
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The move, which has led to severe reimbursement reductions in pediatric care, has forced some pediatricians to reduce or discontinue Medicaid services, making it harder for kids to get the care they need, the lawsuit alleges. Others, like those with Pediatric Associates, are taking some financial loss, at least for now, every time medical care is provided to a child who’s insured through the government-funded health insurance.

But Pediatric Associates in its lawsuit warns that unless a fix is made soon, it may be forced to stop providing some or all services to kids with Medicaid, a decision it described as having “devastating consequences to its Medicaid patients.”

The provider says it currently serves over 300,000 children, or about 15% of Florida’s pediatric Medicaid population, more than any other healthcare provider in the state. But the reimbursement changes, the pediatric provider claims, make it “economically infeasible” to continue treating pediatric Medicaid patients.

“If the children I care for every day lose access to pediatric care, it would be absolutely devastating,” Dr. Rasciel Socarras, a North Miami-based physician with Pediatric Associates, said in a news release. “I know from experience that if action is not taken, more families will end up relying on emergency rooms for everyday care — or worse, skipping care entirely. The funding miscalculation we are asking the state to correct is fixable, and fixing it matters for every Medicaid-insured child in Florida, not just the ones in my practice.”
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Much, much more at the link:
https://www.tampabay.com/news/florida/2026/06/29/florida-medicaid-changes-kids-checkups/