Florida could incur $1.25B Medicaid shortfall by July

Florida’s Medicaid enrollment could swell by 700,000 beneficiaries before 2022, increasing the state’s costs by 19% and potentially presenting lawmakers in March with a $1.25 billion shortfall, according to projections by state economists.

In analyses published Monday after a Social Services Estimating Conference (SSEC) on Dec. 8, economists forecast 4.59 million Floridians will be enrolled in Medicaid during fiscal year 2022, nearly 700,000 more than fiscal year 2020’s enrollment of 3.9 million people.