Fla. waited 10 years to send Medicaid letters

MIAMI (AP) - Attorneys arguing a class-action lawsuit say Florida health officials aren't adequately marketing its Medicaid program.

In 2001, federal health officials asked Florida to send letters to the parents of children on Medicaid who had not had a dental appointment for several months.

The letters were sent this fall - ten years later.

The state is fighting a class-action lawsuit which claims 1.7 million children on Medicaid do not have access to critical medical care.

Florida's low reimbursement rates mean few doctors participate in the program.

The state is required to market its Medicaid dental program, but plaintiff's attorneys warned the state delayed doing so because it couldn't meet the potential demand.

A top Florida Medicaid official said the state worried about oversaturating patients with too much information.

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