Spanish-speaking Latino families in Florida have faced a critical problem as they try to contact Medicaid call centers. A survey conducted by UnidosUS, the largest Hispanic civil rights organization in the country, revealed that phone calls in Spanish face significant delays and disconnections, hampering these families' ability to provide crucial information to maintain their coverage in the federal insurance program.

The survey results indicate that, on average, a call in Spanish had to wait nearly four times longer than a call in English to speak with a Medicaid center representative in Florida. In addition, about 30 percent of Spanish-language calls were disconnected before the caller was able to speak to a representative, compared to 10 percent of English-language calls.

According to NBC News’ publication, the  context is important, as more than 400,000 Floridians have lost Medicaid coverage since the end of  COVID-19 pandemic protections in March, with more than half having  their enrollments canceled by "procedural reasons". Many Spanish-speaking Latino families are struggling to defend their cases with the state due to discriminatory delays at the state’s Medicaid call center.

According to NBC, “Three million out of the roughly 5 million people who rely on Florida’s Medicaid program are children, and more than a third are Hispanic”.

The report highlights the experience of a mother, Tamara Alea, whose son was pulled from Medicaid due to bureaucratic issues and the difficulty of getting information and assistance through the call center. The research also points out that letters sent by the Florida Department of Children and Families often contain complex forms, making it difficult for many people to understand the requirements to maintain their coverage.

The report’s author, Stan Dorn, emphasizes that the barriers faced by Spanish-speaking families to renew their children's coverage are particularly damaging, given that many Medicaid beneficiaries in Florida are Latinos with limited English proficiency.

“When the department doesn’t get the information needed within 30 days, families are dropped from Medicaid, Dorn said. Once unenrolled, families have 90 days to provide the information needed to reinstate their Medicaid, a process that can take months”.

The solution proposed by the report is for Florida lawmakers to use the state’s budget surplus to make call center services accessible to all Medicaid families, regardless of the language they speak. Meanwhile, families like Tamara Alea’s are failing to access the essential medicines they need to treat their health conditions.