Florida Medicaid redetermination and renewal
If you have Florida Medicaid, your eligibility has to be redetermined every year. The annual eligibility redetermination requirement was paused for three years due to the COVID pandemic, but it resumed in the spring of 2023. Learn how Florida Medicaid eligibility redeterminations may impact you and your family. We can help you understand how to stay covered.
Understanding Florida’s Medicaid redetermination and renewal process
The Florida Department of Children and Families (DCF) redetermines each Medicaid enrollee’s eligibility once every 12 months. You may lose coverage if the state finds you are no longer eligible for Medicaid.
When your renewal is due, Florida Medicaid will first attempt to renew your coverage automatically (ex parte), using data the state has on file.1 But when annual redeterminations resumed in 2023 after a three-year pause, the ex parte process was only used for 32% of people whose Florida Medicaid was renewed (versus 61% nationwide). More than two-thirds of Florida Medicaid renewals required enrollees to complete paperwork to keep their coverage.2
If Florida Medicaid can’t renew your coverage based on data that’s already on file, they will send you a renewal packet about 45 days before your renewal date, with instructions for verifying your eligibility. You can also update your information online and upload documentation through the MyACCESS Portal.3
What should I do if I’m no longer eligible for Medicaid coverage?
When the state completes your review, you will find out whether you are still eligible for continued Medicaid coverage. If you’re no longer eligible, you may still qualify for other subsidized health programs, including Florida KidCare or a Marketplace health plan. The following options might be available to you, depending on your circumstances:
- The Florida KidCare Program provides low-cost insurance to families with children under the age of 18. If your child is found to be ineligible for Medicaid during the annual review process, their application will be automatically sent to the KidCare program to determine whether they’re eligible for that coverage.4
- The Medically Needy Program is for individuals who are disabled or aged 65 or older who would be eligible for Medicaid except that their income is high. If they have enough medical costs, they may be able to qualify for Medicaid through Florida’s “share of cost” medically needy program.5
- A private plan purchased through the Florida health insurance Marketplace (gov). Most enrollees are eligible for premium subsidies that help to cover a portion of the premiums. However, Florida does have a coverage gap because the state hasn’t expanded Medicaid. Marketplace subsidies are not available to anyone with a household income under the federal poverty level, and many adults with income below the poverty level are also not eligible for Medicaid in Florida. If your income is below the poverty level and you’re looking at Marketplace plans in Florida, you’re going to be seeing full-price plans, without any subsidy.
Coverage options if you lose Medicaid coverage in FL
Check if your employer offers coverage
Find out if you can get coverage through your employer, or the employer of your spouse or parent (if you’re under 26). There is a special enrollment window for employer-sponsored coverage if you lose your Medicaid coverage. That window typically lasts for 60 days for people who have lost Medicaid coverage.
Consider Florida Marketplace coverage
If you lose your Medicaid coverage, you will qualify for a special enrollment period. During this limited window of time, you can find replacement coverage on the ACA health insurance Marketplace.
Savings if an employer plan is unaffordable
If you can get health insurance coverage through your job but it is too expensive for you to afford, you may qualify for financial assistance. Use our Employer Health Plan Affordability Calculator to see your potential savings on an ACA Marketplace plan.
Coverage through Medicare
People over the age of 65 and some younger people who have permanent disabilities are eligible for Medicare. If you’ve become eligible for Medicare since 2020 but have not enrolled because you had Medicaid, you’ll have a special enrollment period to transition to Medicare when your Medicaid ends.
Frequently Asked Questions about Florida Medicaid redeterminations and renewals
Will I have to start renewing my Florida Medicaid twice a year in 2027?
No, Florida Medicaid will continue to use annual renewals. Starting in 2027, Medicaid expansion enrollees will have their eligibility redetermined twice a year instead of once a year.6
But Florida has not expanded Medicaid, so the switch to more frequent Medicaid eligibility redeterminations doesn’t apply in Florida.7
What should I do if I receive a notice of eligibility review or notice of case action?
Each year, your Medicaid eligibility must be redetermined. If Florida Medicaid can’t determine your eligibility automatically, you will receive a notice regarding your renewal.
If you receive a notice, read it carefully and give the state any information it needs to review your case. The state will use this information to determine whether you are still eligible for Medicaid.
How do I sign up for a My ACCESS Account?
You can manage your benefits, receive notifications about your case and update your contact information at www.myflfamilies.com/myaccess with a My ACCESS account. You will need your case number to create an account. You’ll find that case number at the top of notices you receive from the Florida DCF Office. You can also find out more on the ACCESS Florida website about available assistance programs, including:
Can I request a hearing or make an appeal to keep my Florida Medicaid?
If you lose Medicaid coverage and don’t agree with the decision about your eligibility, you can ask for a fair hearing. You only have a limited time to make the request and it has to be sent in writing. Follow the instructions on the notice you get about your Medicaid eligibility.
When might I lose Medicaid coverage?
If Florida Medicaid determines that you’re no longer eligible, your coverage will terminate instead of renewing. The renewal notice you receive will tell you the deadline for responding, and the date your coverage will end if you don’t respond or if you’re found to be no longer eligible.
It’s important to understand that if you don’t respond to a renewal notice, or if you don’t submit additional information if it’s requested, your coverage will terminate. During the year-long “unwinding” process after eligibility redeterminations resumed in 2023, nearly two-thirds of the 1.9 million people who were disenrolled from Florida Medicaid were terminated for procedural reasons, which means the state simply didn’t have enough information to determine whether they were still eligible.2
So if you receive a renewal notice, be sure to provide the requested information. If you have any questions, you can contact Florida Medicaid for help. Ignoring the notice will result in your coverage being terminated.
Footnotes
- “Medicaid Ex Parte Renewals Are an Efficient Strategy to Ensure Eligible Enrollees Have Health Care, Increase Accuracy, and Reduce Administrative Costs” Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. Feb. 25, 2025 ⤶
- “Medicaid Enrollment and Unwinding Tracker” KFF.org. Mar. 2, 2026 ⤶ ⤶
- “Applying for Assistance” Florida Department of Children and Families. Accessed Mar. 26, 2026 ⤶
- “Medicaid Information: What to know for children, families, and seniors” MyFLFamilies. Accessed Mar. 26, 2026 ⤶
- “Medically Needy Program” Florida Department of Children and Families. Accessed Mar. 26, 2026 ⤶
- “Implementation of Eligibility Redeterminations,” Section 71107 of the “Working Families Tax Cut” Legislation (Public Law 119-21)” Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. Mar. 6, 2026 ⤶
- “Impact of Medicaid Cuts in H.R. 1 on Non-expansion States” The Center for Law and Social Policy. Dec. 2025 ⤶
