TALLAHASSEE -- Gov. Rick Scott says Florida will not begin implementing the federal health care law because he believes it is bad policy and too costly. <\/p>\n
Scott told Fox News he believes the law should be repealed, hopefully by a new president elected in November. But even if that doesnt happen, he said, Florida will not set up a health-insurance exchange or participate in an expansion of Medicaid. <\/p>\n
Were not going to implement Obamacare in Florida, Scott told Fox News anchor Greta Van Susteren on Friday night. Were not going to expand Medicaid because were going to do the right thing. Were not going to do the exchange. <\/p>\n
Scotts announcement came hours after he told media that he was still considering his options in the wake of Thursdays U.S. Supreme Court ruling to uphold the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. <\/p>\n
State Rep. Mark Pafford, the ranking Democrat on the Florida House committee that handles health care funding, said he was not surprised. <\/p>\n
This is a guy who was in the private sector. He created an organization to fight the Affordable Care Act, said Pafford, of West Palm Beach. He then was so upset that he became governor using his own money. So it wouldnt make sense that he would do anything else. <\/p>\n
Under the health care law, by 2014 states must implement a health insurance exchange, a Web-based marketplace where people can shop for insurance, or defer to a federal program. States need to submit plans to the federal government that demonstrate their readiness to launch health exchanges by Nov. 16. <\/p>\n
States also must decide whether to move forward with an expansion of Medicaid to reduce the number of uninsured residents. In Florida about 3.8 million people, or 21 percent, are uninsured. <\/p>\n
The Supreme Court ruling made it clear that states can stick with the status quo without being financially penalized. The federal government has promised to shoulder nearly all of the burden of the Medicaid expansion in the early years so it will cost states relatively little to participate. But Scott said Medicaid is already too expensive and the expansion would put further strain on the state budget. <\/p>\n
We care about having a health care safety net for the vulnerable Floridians, Scott said on Fox. But this is an expansion that just doesnt make any sense. <\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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Scott vows he won\u2019t implement Affordable Care Act<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" TALLAHASSEE -- Gov. Continue reading