The costs to cover waived October payments is an estimated $6.5 million. (Getty Images)
The state is waiving the required monthly Florida KidCare premiums for children living in families affected by Hurricane Milton, officials announced Wednesday.
It’s the second time in a month the Florida Healthy Kids Corp. Board of Directors agreed to waive the requisite premiums for children living in hurricane-ravaged counties. The board had already agreed to waive October premiums for roughly 48,000 children living in 22 counties hit by Hurricane Helene.
Wednesday’s announcement waives premium requirements for another 92,000 children living in another 30 counties in Hurricane Milton’s path.
In all, the program agreed to waive premiums for 140,000 children, more than 72% of its enrollment, living in 52 counties. The cost to cover the waived premiums is $6.45 million, according to the release announcing the decision.
Dr. Stephanie Haridopolos is the chair of the Florida Healthy Kids Corp. Board of Directors, via USF College of Public Health
“Thousands of Florida families faced two major hurricanes in two weeks, and many are still trying to pick up the pieces,” said Board Chair Dr. Stephanie Haridopolos. “I am immensely proud to be able to offer this financial support, and I sincerely hope it provides some level of comfort as our members rebuild.”
Florida KidCare is the name of Florida’s Children’s Health Insurance Program, or CHIP. It’s an optional Medicaid expansion program for children aged 5-18 whose families earn too much to qualify for the traditional Medicaid program. The program is administered by the board of directors.
Unlike traditional Medicaid, which is free for enrollees, Florida KidCare enrollees who qualify for a subsidized plan are required to pay a small monthly premium; according to the website, it’s $15 or $20 a month per household. They also make co-payments for services.
Families lose access to the subsidized health insurance plan once their income exceeds 200% of the federal poverty level, or $40,880 for a family of two. Those families can still qualify for Florida KidCare, but they pay full cost of the plan, which exceeds $200 per month per child, plus co-payments.
The board agreed to waive premiums for children who qualify for subsidized health insurance coverage as well as those enrolled in the full pay health insurance plan.
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Haridopolos credited members of the board for agreeing to waive the premiums as well as Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis, who oversees the program.
Jimmy Patronis, Florida’s Chief Financial Officer. Credit: FL Department of Financial Services.
“Back-to-back hurricanes Helene and Milton have left behind catastrophic damage and destruction for Floridians across our state,” Patronis said in the statement. “In the aftermath, I have had the opportunity to connect with these communities to assure them we stand ready to help as they work to recover and heal from these storms. I am proud to support this important action to provide immediate relief for Florida’s children and families.”
An additional month of payment relief will be made available to those who contact the Florida KidCare Call Center expressing a need.
The board also has agreed to give families who were supposed to renew their coverage in September and October additional time to do so. According to the release, those families will have until Nov. 30 (the end of the Hurricane season) to complete the renewal process.
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The board waived premiums following a barrage of bad publicity after former Gov. Rick Scott in 2017 chose not to waive the payment requirements after Hurricane Irma. Instead, Scott delayed by a month the premium due date. A high-ranking Medicaid official at the time defended the position, saying tens of thousands of families had managed to pay their premiums despite the hurricane.
“Why would you give a freebie to those who did not act responsibly in the beginning?” the official of the Agency for Health Care Administration told lawmakers at the time.
Meanwhile, thousands of children lost their health insurance coverage.
In addition to waiving premium for November, the board agreed to give families with annual renewals due in September or October additional time to submit applications. Those families will have until Nov. 30 to complete the renewal process.
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