by Jackie Llanos, Florida Phoenix

May 13, 2024

The trial over Florida’s handling of the Medicaid eligibility review process, which has led to 1.8 million people getting booted from the subsidized healthcare program for low-income people, has been postponed indefinitely.

Following the end of continued Medicaid coverage under the COVID-19 public health emergency, Florida had to review the eligibility of more than five million people. As of May 10, approximately 1.8 million Floridians have lost access to Medicaid, according to KFF Health’s Medicaid unwinding tracker.

The lawsuit against the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration, the Florida Department of Children and Families and its top leaders alleges that the agencies did not properly notify people why they were going to lose their health insurance or allow them to appeal the decision before it was cut off.

The trial was set to start Monday morning in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida in Jacksonville but has been postponed because the judge presiding over the case had a family emergency, according to court records. The court will have a conference with the parties to determine when the trial will begin.

The plaintiffs in the case are a 25-year-old Duval County mother, her toddler and another infant whose mother brought the case.

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