Rick Scott Flip-Flops, Opposes Obamacare's Medicaid Expansion
Source: TPM/AP
Florida Gov. Rick Scott reversed his position Monday on the Medicaid expansion under Obamacare, deciding that his state should not adopt it after all.
The stakes are enormous as the Republican governor's decision means that as many as 800,000 low-income Floridians could go without health insurance. Under Obamacare the federal government was tasked with covering the full cost until 2017 and at least 90 percent thereafter.
Scott's intentions, first reported by The Associated Press, were made clear in a statement distributed by the governor's office on Monday morning. He pointed his finger at the federal government for declining to give Florida the funds he requested for the state's Low Income Pool (LIP) program, which helps pay hospitals for uncompensated care.
"Our priority is to cut more than $600 million in taxes this session and get K-12 education funding up to record levels while holding the line on college tuition. We still have several weeks left for budget negotiations; however, given that the federal government said they would not fund the federal LIP program to the level it is funded today, it would be hard to understand how the state could take on even more federal programs that CMS could scale back or walk away from," Scott said.
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Read more: http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/rick-scott-medicaid-expansion-flip
NoJusticeNoPeace
(5,018 posts)Sancho
(9,070 posts)some of my gullible GOP neighbors were pretty pissed at Scott to let all that fed money get away, but he appeased some of them by hinting he would go with medicaid. He never intended to...fooled them again and again.
Vinca
(50,319 posts)and has hepatitis doesn't touch their food. Everyone having access to free or affordable medical care is a public health issue.
Iliyah
(25,111 posts)and what Rep Grayson said about getting sick and die quickly rings true because that appears to be one of the GOPers motto.
wordpix
(18,652 posts)"however, given that the federal government said they would not fund the federal LIP program to the level it is funded today, it would be hard to understand how the state could take on even more federal programs that CMS could scale back or walk away from," Scott said.
Basically this numbskull is saying that b/c one fed program has cuts in fed funding, he'll refuse 90-100% fed funding for the Medicaid prog. Very logical
blkmusclmachine
(16,149 posts)stuffmatters
(2,574 posts)If so, why isn't AARP all up and over these governors denying medicaid monies? Why are these "retirement" haven state governors
able to keep winning with elderly voters. Especially Florida...it makes no sense.