The class-action lawsuit was filed in federal court in Miami on behalf of the 1.5 million Florida children that receive Medicaid. In the suit, five families were listed to demonstrate the severity of the issue.

The lawsuit, filed against top state Medicaid officials by the Florida Pediatric Society and the Florida Academy of Pediatric Dentists, seeks a judicial declaration that the state is not meeting its requirements under federal law. It also seeks an order directing state officials to provide adequate medical and dental care for children enrolled in Medicaid.

The suit was filed against top state Medicaid officials by the Florida Pediatric Society and the Florida Academy of Pediatric Dentists. It seeks a judicial declaration that the state is not meeting its requirements under federal law and an order directing state officials to provide adequate medical and dental care.

"We believe that all children deserve the same access to health care," said Dr. Louis St. Petery, a Tallahassee pediatric cardiologist and the pediatric society's executive vice president. "It is not the child's fault if he or she is born into an economically deprived family."

States that participate in Medicaid set the reimbursement rates. Under federal law those states must ensure that medical and dental care is available to Medicaid patients to the same extent as to patients with private insurance.

But officials said the reimbursement rates are too low in Florida, which translates into fewer doctors willing to provide the services and therefore less patient access to services.