Florida in secret talks to accept funding for Medicaid from Affordable Care Act

[Eugene]

Source: The Guardian

Florida in secret talks to accept funding for Medicaid from Affordable Care Act

Sarah Boseley in Miami
theguardian.com, Thursday 21 November 2013 14.20 GMT

Secret conversations are taking place in Florida between healthcare stakeholders and the legislature that will most likely lead to the Republican-controlled state accepting Medicaid expansion money, according to senior figures in the health industry.

Some health professionals believe the amount of money on offer and the fact that the Republican party benefits from campaign contributions by the health insurance industry means that Florida is likely to find a way take the funding provided by the Affordable Care Act.

It would join a number of states with Republican-dominated legislatures, including Arkansas, Iowa and Wisconsin, to exploit a provision in the ACA that allows them to take the additional cash by providing an alternative to the public Medicaid program.

Donna Shalala, secretary for health and human services under Bill Clinton and now president of the University of Miami, told journalists at a meeting convened by the Kaiser Family Foundation in Miami this week that Republicans in the state would find a way to get over their political opposition to the ACA, also known as Obamacare.

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Read more: http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/nov/21/florida-secret-medicaid-talks-healthcare-expansion

[flamingdem]

1. Scott scared of Christ

who has expressed support for ACA and medicaid expansion.

OR Scott figured out how to make a buck out of it.

[Hoyt]

2. That would be a significant concession, and is very positive for ACA and people of Florida.

Maybe other obstinate -- Republican led states -- will wise up and quit punishing poor people to make a bunch of yahoos happy.