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babylonsister

(171,066 posts) Wed Jul 2, 2014, 05:23 PM Jul 2014

White House to Rick Scott: Medicaid expansion would create 63k jobs

http://www.tampabay.com/blogs/the-buzz-florida-politics/white-house-to-rick-scott-medicaid-expansion-would-create-63k-jobs/2186824

White House to Rick Scott: Medicaid expansion would create 63k jobs

Alex Leary, Times Washington Bureau Chief

Wednesday, July 2, 2014 12:01am

WASHINGTON — The White House has a Medicaid expansion argument for Gov. Rick Scott and Florida Republicans: It creates jobs.

A state-by-state report released Wednesday estimates that Florida would generate about 63,000 jobs, mainly in health care, from 2014-2017. That's the three years that the federal government would have paid the entire cost of providing health care to 848,000 people.

In Tallahassee, new legislative leaders come on board at the end of the year but little may change. Incoming Senate President Andy Gardiner said he still supports a Medicaid expansion alternative his chamber developed but there is little room to negotiate with counterparts in the House.

"Unfortunately, the federal government in their mandate is all or nothing," said Gardiner, R-Orlando. "I think that's one of the things that adds to the challenge."

The study by the Council of Economic Advisers — titled "Missed Opportunities" — is part of an ongoing push by the Obama Administration on a central part of the Affordable Care Act. It makes a number of other claims evaluating states that have expanded and 23 others that have not, including Florida.

Full story here:

http://www.tampabay.com/news/politics/stateroundup/white-house-report-medicaid-expansion-would-create-63000-jobs-in-florida/2186836