Florida Medicaid Settles Suit Alleging Low Pediatric Rates Limit Access

On April 5, 2016, the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA) announced it had reached a settlement agreement in a 2005 lawsuit that alleged that child Medicaid beneficiaries were not able to receive needed care because  the state's pediatric Medicaid rates were so low that provider organizations refused to participate. In its settlement with the Florida Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics and other plaintiffs, the state agreed to implement a framework for AHCA and other state agencies to raise Medicaid managed care reimbursement rates with the expectation of improving the access of children on Medicaid to . . .