Some of Florida's sickest kids are losing Medicaid coverage on Easter Sunday

Harmatz is spreading the word that people can file an appeal if they think their child is still eligible.

By filing before Sunday, they can keep coverage for their children while their appeal is being reviewed.

“The bottom line is there should be no gap in coverage,” Harmatz said.

The state has contended throughout this process that they have sent ample notices via phone, email, mail and online MyACCESS accounts to families whose coverage is up for renewal. Families should have received notice 45 days before the renewal date with instructions on how to renew.

In an October presentation to the Florida legislature, officials from DCF and AHCA said that kids with complex chronic conditions would get a “specialized processing team” and extra outreach efforts during this yearlong unwinding period.

DCF and AHCA officials did not immediately respond to questions from the Orlando Sentinel about what these specialized efforts entail, how they were ensuring no gaps in coverage and how they were verifying kids were not removed by mistake.

Children in Florida have “without a doubt” lost coverage due to paperwork snafus, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra said in an interview on Wednesday with the Sentinel.

Becerra previously sent a letter to DeSantis and eight other governors expressing concern about the large number of children who had lost coverage due to red tape.

“It continues to not just disturb but confound, I think, a lot of folks that some states have chosen not to address the loss of health care by so many children,” Becerra said. “… Denying that child those services is not just unconscionable, it’s a nightmare for the family.”

About 57% of the people in Florida taken off Medicaid over the last year were removed for procedural reasons, such as not returning a renewal form or incorrectly filling it out, according to nonprofit policy analysis group KFF.

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