Advocate's Guide to Florida Medicaid
May 2018
By The Florida Health Justice Project
The Advocate’s Guide to the Florida Medicaid Program provides a useful roadmap to a complex and critical safety net program serving over 4 million Floridians.
Medicaid is a complex and frequently changing federal-state insurance program that covers medical expenses for eligible beneficiaries. Each state implements its own Medicaid plan in compliance with the federal Medicaid statute and regulations. While the federal statute and regulations prescribe the basic rules of the Medicaid program, states have significant flexibility and each state’s Medicaid program is unique.
This Guide provides an overview of the authority governing Florida’s Medicaid program and addresses basic questions asked by advocates, applicants and beneficiaries including:
- who is eligible for Medicaid;
- how to apply;
- what to do if an application is denied or delayed;
- what to do if eligibility is terminated;
- what services are covered;
- how does managed care work;
- what to do if services are denied, delayed, terminated or reduced? 1
