Florida Lawsuit Alleges Inadequate Medicaid for Children

Opening arguments are expected today in a class-action lawsuit which claims that Florida is violating federal Medicaid requirements by failing to provide adequate medical and dental care to about 1 million children statewide.

The suit was filed in 2005 on behalf of the Florida Pediatric Society, Florida Academy of Pediatric Dentistry and state residents under the age of 21 who are eligible for Medicaid, the Miami Herald reports.

According to court documents, the state's reimbursement rates are so low that less than 9 percent of Florida dentists are currently Medicaid providers. The lack of access allegedly left more than 750,000 without dental care in 2007, according to the Tampa Tribune.

"There are many counties where there are only one or two dentists willing to receive Medicaid patients and then they limit the number of Medicaid patients they actually do see," the plaintiffs' attorney Stuart Singer told the news provider.

Currently, Medicaid pays $15 for a dental exam in Florida, compared to $25 in Tennessee which ranks among the country's best dental health programs.

The Herald reports the state has already spent about $2 million defending themselves in the case.