Alan Levine, Florida's Agency for Health Care Administration's secretary, said he has indefinitely suspended changes made to Medicaid paperwork that caused more than 1,000 children with severe disabilities or chronic illnesses to be denied coverage for nutritional supplements, the Miami Herald reports. According to Beth Kidder, bureau chief for Medicaid services, the state stopped covering supplements for children with HIV/AIDS who have wasting syndrome, adults who "are able to receive even small amounts of food by mouth," children who are able to receive at least half their food by mouth, and children who are capable of eating and digesting solid food, the Herald reports. According to the Herald, the state paid $1.1 million for food supplements in June 2005, before the changes, compared with last month in which they paid $462,189. Levine said the changes to Medicaid allowed doctors to obtain prior authorization to give supplements to individuals who did not meet new criteria. However, doctors often were unable to receive such permission from the agency, resulting in 2,090 fewer adults and 1,010 fewer children receiving coverage for the supplements, the Herald reports. Levine said the problem could be related to doctors' confusion over the changes to the paperwork or the state's system for determining eligibility for the supplements. He added that the agency will talk directly with health care professionals whose patients were affected. Levine also said that the state has not reduced spending for the supplements (Marbin Miller, Miami Herald, 3/24).