Florida Democrats get pushback after claims of DeSantis trying to ‘kick kids off healthcare’

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – The Florida Democratic Party received major pushback after claims they made around Gov. Ron DeSantis’ legal actions surrounding Florida’s KidCare program.

The program is often described as a bridge for children in middle class families who make too much to qualify for Medicaid, but at the same time are not able to secure private health insurance. It is not considered to be a long term entitlement program.

“The DeSantis administration is paying lawyers to sue the federal government to make it easier to kick kids off healthcare,” the Florida Democrats said on social media.

“Instead of protecting them, Republicans are going after Florida’s sickest kids,” they added.

According to the secretary of Florida’s Agency for Healthcare Administration, Jason Weida, AHCA sued the federal government because they wouldn’t allow for the state to expand the healthcare coverage without turning it into an entitlement program.

“KidCare is not—and was never designed to be—a free-for-all entitlement like Medicaid,” Weida said. “Rather, KidCare serves as a bridge from Medicaid to private insurance, helping families continue on their path to financial independence.”

“Florida wants to keep KidCare intact but make it available to more families. Because the Biden administration will not let Florida expand the program without turning it into an entitlement, @AHCA_FL filed a lawsuit,” he added. “We seek to preserve the integrity of the program while helping more Florida families.”

The state Democratic Party chairwoman, Nikki Fried, came out with a statement bashing the governor for his legal actions as well.

“It’s clear, Ron DeSantis does not care about Florida’s kids,” she said. “In addition to nearly 500,000 children who have lost Medicaid coverage since the unwinding started, the DeSantis administration is now breaching federal rules by kicking off over 22,000 children from Florida KidCare, according to the latest data.”

DeSantis’ communications director, Bryan Griffin, responded to the party’s arguments.

“FL Democrats lie to you because the voters of this state have rendered them irrelevant,” he said.

“The truth: a federal program designed to be temporary is treated as temporary by FL,” he added. “And because FL is following the intent of the program, more people who need it are able to utilize it.”

Christina Pushaw, another member of the governor’s team, also pushed back on the claims.

“Yet again, Democrats resort to dishonesty because they don’t have legitimate points. KidCare was always a bridge for families to help them achieve self sufficiency,” she said. “So, when someone gets on a private health care plan that means un-enrollment from the state program. This process is necessary to free up resources for children & families who actually need it.”

“The Biden Administration is yet again engaging in bureaucratic overreach attempting to make policy via FAQ pages on websites, instead of being transparent and getting legislation passed,” she continued. “This is a constant theme with Biden’s regime and I am glad Florida always fights back!”