On July 10, 2014, District Judge Adalberto Jordan from the Southern District of Florida ruled that no aspect of the Florida Pediatric Society’s case against the Secretary of the Florida Agency for Health Administration was moot.
The Law Center originally filed the class lawsuit on behalf of the Florida Pediatric Society in 2005. The lawsuit alleges that the Florida’s Medicaid program violates federal Medicaid requirements since it does offer sufficient health and dental care to children.
Judge Jordan’s most recent decision comes in response to the defendant’s assertion that the lawsuit is moot because reimbursements and the new privatized manage care system that starts in August will allow those in the program achieve relief.
However, Judge Jordan did not rule against the defendants since he found that the amendments to the Medicaid system cannot guarantee a solution to all its deficiencies. He wrote in his order that “At this time nobody knows whether or not the new managed care system will alleviate or solve the issues that the plaintiffs have been complaining about for years. Without a developed factual record on how the managed care system is working (or not working), it is impossible to declare any part of this case moot.”
The Law Center is still waiting for a final ruling which is expected by October of 2014.
