Sharmila Venkatasubban/The Florida Trib

Khem Raj Poudel and his wife, Bijaya Laxmi Poudel. The couple was granted asylum and settled in Florida after fleeing Nepal due to political violence. There have been issues getting needed medical benefits in Florida.

In Florida, immigrant Medicaid crackdown ensnares eligible families

One family cut off by mistake, another with no notice. Meanwhile, a troubled state agency still seems ill-equipped to handle complex eligibility changes, attorneys say.

FILE - Florida first lady Casey DeSantis speaks as her husband Republican presidential candidate Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis looks on during a campaign event in 2023. Erik Dellenback, the executive director of the Hope Florida program, First Lady Casey DeSantis’ signature welfare-assistance program and an affiliated foundation, is poised to step down from the job.

Investigation

How Hope Florida quietly hollowed out Florida’s safety net

Sharmila Venkatasubban/The Florida Trib

State records show the controversial initiative shifted priorities away from DCF’s eligibility division that has since failed federal standards and left Floridians cut off.

Bryan Simpson U.S. Courthouse in Jacksonville.

Health

Florida said it couldn’t fix confusing Medicaid notices. Under court order, it only took months

Sharmila Venkatasubban/The Florida Trib

A judge ruled the letters violated the Constitution, leaving families unable to know why they lost coverage, or how to fight back.