Florida House Speaker Will Weatherford remained adamantly opposed to taking optional federal funds to expand Medicaid after unveiling his proposed alternative Thursday, drawing a rebuke from Gov. Rick Scott and mixed reactions from organizations representing the state's business community.
The Houses plan will cost Florida taxpayers on top of what they are already taxed under the presidents new healthcare law. This would be a double hit to state taxpayers, Scott said in a statement reacting to Weatherford's proposal to establish a state-assisted marketplace dubbed the "Amazon.com of health care for Florida.
The Senates plan will provide healthcare services to thousands of uninsured Floridians while the program is 100 percent federally funded. As it stands today, the Senates plan is in line with what I said I would support because it protects both state taxpayers and the uninsured in our state, Scott said.
The governor has urged the Legislature to accept the optional expansion of Medicaid to about one million additional Floridians, while the Senate has proposed taking those same federal dollars and establishing a state-based voucher program to help uninsured Floridians purchase coverage.
The Florida Chamber of Commerce, which drew fire from some conservatives for offering its qualified endorsement of expansion, declined to support or criticize the House proposal, called theFlorida Health Choices Plus Program.
The Florida Chamber reiterates its opposition to Washingtons version of a one-size-fits-all Medicaid expansion, and its support of a flexible Florida solution. Today, with the unveiling of the Florida House of Representatives' health care plan, it is clear that the Florida House and the Florida Senate are committed to finding alternatives to fixing a broken healthcare system by complimenting healthcare reform with cost savings and smart solutions that will make Florida more competitive, Edie Ousley, the Chamber's vice president of public affairs, told Sunshine State News. We look forward to the opportunities that lie ahead, and to further shifting the course of this conversation by complimenting healthcare reform with cost savings and smart solutions that put the long-term future of Florida ahead of short-term political fixes.
Bill Herrle, Florida executive director of the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB), came out strongly in support of the House measure.
Finally we have a sensible proposal that meets the needs of Floridians within the means of Floridians, he declared in a statement following Weatherford's announcement. Were pleased that under the leadership of Speaker Weatherford, Florida wont be counting on a federal government that is already in a financial crisis, and we commend the House on holding the line against a policy that would threaten our states economic stability.
The NFIB has opposed Medicaid expansion from the get-go; a February poll by the organization found that the vast majority of the Florida's small business owners opposed expansion.
The Associated Industries of Florida, which had previously implied endorsement of Medicaid expansion, did not return a request for comment before this story went to press.
Meanwhile, House Democrats offered their tepid response to the House proposal.
Today, House Republican leaders have unveiled a bare-bones health coverage plan for uninsured, low-income Floridians thats deserving of public consideration and review, Minority Leader Perry Thurston said in a statement. Though personally, at first glance, I am not enthralled by the proposal, I recognize that it is at least a minimal attempt toward achieving a legislative compromise on the important topic of health coverage for Floridians.
Reach Eric Giunta at egiunta@sunshinestatenews.com and at (954) 235-9116.
