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Thousands of immigrant children living legally in Florida may soon get access to subsidized healthcare. The Florida House voted unanimously Thursday to make children of legal immigrants immediately eligible for Florida Kidcare. Florida Kidcare includes both Medicaid and a subsidized children's health insurance program. There's currently a five-year waiting period. (3/3)

In the past month, the state Department of Human Services has reduced by more than half the number of infants whose applications for Medicaid have been pending more than 45 days, a department official told state lawmakers on Thursday. Mary Franklin, who became interim director of the department's Division of County Operations in January, told the Legislature's House and Senate public health committees during a joint meeting that she expects to have eliminated the backlog by the end of the month. (Davis, 3/4)

Extending the state’s Medicaid expansion program for two more years took another step forward Thursday when the House Finance Committee voted 18-8 to approve House Bill 1696. The committee did amend the bill to shift $1.5 million in administrative costs from the Department of Health and Human Services to hospitals and insurance companies which are paying a majority of the state’s share of the cost beginning Jan. 1, 2017, when the federal government stops paying 100 percent of the program. (Rayno, 3/3)