Washington, DC— The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) supports the efforts of the Florida Pediatric Society, a chapter of the AAP, and the Florida Academy of Pediatric Dentistry to combat discrepancies in the quality of medical and dental care delivered to children enrolled in Florida’s Medicaid program. The group filed a lawsuit against Florida Medicaid—now currently in trial—for providing inadequate medical and dental care to more than 1 million Floridian children.

“The 390,000 children in Florida who did not get medical check-ups in 2007 and the more than 750,000 who received no dental care that year are proof that this discrepancy in care is failing Florida’s children,” said pediatric cardiologist and Florida Pediatric Society Executive Vice President Louis St. Petery, MD, FAAP.

“Florida's Medicaid payment rates are among the lowest in the country, which explains why so few doctors in our state can afford to treat Medicaid patients,” Dr. St. Petery stated. “Medicaid paid only $32 for a physician office visit in Florida in 2007, compared to $47 in Virginia, and the approximately $60 that Medicare pays for the same service in Florida.”

In the current lawsuit, the Florida Pediatric Society is requesting that Florida increase its Medicaid payment rates to at least Medicare levels for physicians and to the 50th percentile of what is customary for dentists who treat Medicaid children up to 21 years old. The group also advocates for the elimination of administrative barriers that prevent Medicaid children from having the same access to medical and dental care as children on private insurance.

The American Academy of Pediatrics recognizes that the need for Medicaid payment reform extends beyond Florida, and would very much like to see attention to this issue at the federal level as Congress debates its health reform legislation.

“One of our primary goals within federal health reform is to ensure that Medicaid provides comprehensive benefits, coverage and access to care to address children’s unique health needs,” said AAP President Judith S. Palfrey, MD, FAAP. “Without appropriate payment, pediatricians cannot afford to treat Medicaid patients and keep their doors open. This is exactly what we’re seeing in Florida, and it is unacceptable. We must do right by our children.”

The American Academy of Pediatrics stands behind the efforts of the Florida Pediatric Society and the Florida Academy of Pediatric Dentistry to improve medical and dental care for Florida’s children, and looks forward to a quick and decisive verdict to reform Florida’s Medicaid system so that it provides Florida children with the affordable, quality health care they need and deserve.

The American Academy of Pediatrics is an organization of 60,000 primary care pediatricians, pediatric medical subspecialists and pediatric surgical specialists dedicated to the health, safety and well-being of infants, children, adolescents and young adults. For more information, visit www.aap.org.​