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Florida’s Scott Backs Obama Medicaid Expansion in Reversal
Bloomberg
Florida Governor Rick Scott, a Republican, said he supports expanding Medicaid under President Barack Obama’s health-care overhaul while the federal government pays the full cost, reversing a previous position.
Scott, 60, said at a news conference today in Tallahassee that he will ask the state legislature to back the expansion under Obama’s Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. After the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the law in June, Scott said he wouldn’t expand Medicaid, and then after the November presidential election said he was open to it.
Scott joins six other Republican governors who have agreed to expand Medicaid, the federal-state health plan for the poor, according to a tally by the Advisory Board Co., a research and consulting company in Washington. Scott and four other Republicans who are backing expanded coverage – John Kasich of Ohio, Susana Martinez of New Mexico, Brian Sandoval of Nevada and Rick Snyder of Michigan — face elections next year.
Scott said he supports a “limited” expansion that would last for three years. That’s a reasonable time to judge the expansion and“a compassionate, common sense step forward,” he said.
“It is not a white flag of surrender to government-run health care,” Scott said.
Corona
February 21st, 2013
I’d like to publicly apologize to everyone on the planet that my ass is white.
persecutor
February 21st, 2013
He’s for a limited three year experiment that won’t work, but at the end of it will not have the guts to kick those who shouldn’t be on it off.
Yeah, that’s courageous leadership!
Roadmaster
February 21st, 2013
Repubicans passed the LARGEST unfunded mandate in History (Medicare part D) just to scoop up FL electoral votes for Bush in 2004.
They’ve continued to show themselves to be just as craven about pandering to certain voter blocks as the Dhimmicrats, although not nearly as effective.
Scott is only letting his RINO side emerge, like my Guv Brewer here in AZ, short sighted by going for the money now, and not planning for when D.C. cuts it off in a few years.
This only postpones the pain which will be MUCH WORSE in a few years after millions more people are sucked into the system
Maybe surrendering principle for short term gain works for these politicians but it is why the Tea Party will rise again and boot them out.
Dr. Tar
February 21st, 2013
Its a trap!
Incentives matter in economics. Expand the medical care government will pay for and more people are going to use it. Increase the number of people using medical care without expanding the means of deliviery, creates scarcity. Prices have to rise and people wait longer for less quality of care. Free loaders from other states are going to flock in to help you consume those government resources.
Violate market dynamics and you are going to pay the price. It was the lesson of the 20th century that too many of our politians refuse to learn.
Here’s an excellent piece on why Kasich is making a big mistake for Ohio taking the Medicare deal.
http://www.cleveland.com/obrien/index.ssf/2013/02/medicaid_plan_is_lousy_idea_ke.html
NoMoBo
February 21st, 2013
“It is not a white flag of surrender to government-run health care,” Scott said.
Oh yes it is.
Czar of Defenestration
February 21st, 2013
On principle, this sucks. Politically, it’s risky:
He’s betting that this “3 year experiment” will satisfy a sufficient number of Florida Dem voters that he’s worth re-electing, when time comes up in a few years. The risk: Crist, the likely turncoat Dem opponent, will run on making it “permanent,” which would be alot easier to accomplish than having to start it up from scratch if Scott had held to the “no” position. It can also turn off conservatives here.
While I recognize that successful politics must acknowledge the reality of elections/electioneering, this move is highly questionable.
Jason in SD
February 21st, 2013
“It is not a white flag of surrender to government-run health care,” Scott said.
Yeah, and this isn’t me giving you the finger, either.
Moe Tom
February 21st, 2013
I think it’s called kicking the can. That’s a game all politicians play. When,in three or four years it becomes their turn again to either shit or get off the pot, they are gone on to being secretary of something or other and some new smuck will kick the can again. And on and on it goes. F*kit!
KF
February 21st, 2013
Knife
Back
Some assembly required
Ohio Dan
February 21st, 2013
We’re boned.
KF
February 21st, 2013
my thoughts about this
scr_north
February 21st, 2013
Where does this fellow think the money is coming from? It’s coming from borrowed cash which all Americans are on the hook for including his own constituents. Hell, it would be worse if it wasn’t. This guy would expect the rest of the country to pay for this. The Dems will tear him a new one over his when election time comes around and the GOP can kiss Florida goodbye. Hmm, I wonder if Charlie Crist will run again?
Anonymous
February 21st, 2013
Oh, no. I guess it is a lock for flip flop Charley to be the next democrat governor after ruling as a democrat, having been elected as a republican.
Anonymous
February 21st, 2013
Next thing, he’ll do, if possible, would be to go for the high speed rail money that he turned down. The left hates him so much already that he can never do a Charley flip flop to win them over. Now he has lost those of us who supported him because of his refusal to accept fake Obama money.