As many as 25,000 kids may have been wrongfully dropped from a program offering low cost insurance to Florida Families. Computer problems may to blame for axing the Florida Kid Care policyholders. An emergency order is in effect to keep more kids from being dropped.

Thousands of families paid health insurance premiums for their children but got no coverage. Computer glitches wrongfully dropped as many as 25,000 families from the Florida Kid Care program. Child Advocate Karen Woodall fears those families won’t get the medical attention they need.

“We can only hope that it hasn’t caused major, major stress to families.”

In May, the state hired a new administrator to take over the program and changed the Kid Care computer system. With a new chairwoman in place, Loranne Ausley, the Florida Healthy Kids Board is trying fix the problem.

“It is unacceptable for any children to be falling out of this program. Our mission is to reach more children. The corporation is going to do whatever it takes to make sure children stay in the program and get the health insurance that they need.”

The problem got so bad that the board issued a moratorium to keep more kids from being dropped. Reimbursements are available for families who were mistakenly axed from the program.

The Florida Healthy Kids Board sent letters to the families who were wrongfully dropped from the program, telling them how to re-enroll.