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Florida governor Rick Scott: We won't comply with health care law

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XiaNaphryz

LATIN, MATRIPEDICABUS, DO YOU SPEAK IT
Fla. Gov.: We won't comply with health care law

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Florida Gov. Rick Scott now says Florida will do nothing to comply with President Barack Obama's health care overhaul and will not expand its Medicaid program. The announcement is a marked changed after the governor recently said he would follow the law if it were upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court.

"Florida is not going to implement Obamacare. We are not going to expand Medicaid and we're not going to implement exchanges," Scott's spokesman Lane Wright told The Associated Press on Saturday. Wright stressed that the governor would work to make sure the law is repealed.

Scott told Fox News the Medicaid expansion would cost Florida taxpayers $1.9 billion a year, but it's unclear how he arrived at that figure.

Scott said the state will not expand the Medicaid program in order to lower the number of uninsured residents, nor will Florida set up a state-run health exchange, a marketplace where people who need insurance policies could shop for them.

"We care about having a health care safety net for the vulnerable Floridians, but this is an expansion that just doesn't make any sense," he told Fox host Greta Van Susteren on Friday.

Scott has gone back and forth on the issue after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled Thursday that Congress cannot withhold federal Medicaid funding from states that opt out of a requirement in the overhaul to expand coverage to those just above the poverty line.

On the day of the ruling Scott was cautious about the expansion, saying he wanted to read the ruling first. Then during an interview Friday morning on a Jacksonville radio station, Scott said it was unlikely he would go along with the expansion because of the potential cost to the state.

But the governor told the Tampa Bay Times later in the day that he was still evaluating the ruling and would come up with a plan within a few weeks.

Scott was vague when asked in the Fox News interview whether he's been in talks with other Republican governors about how to respond going forward.

"Everyone I've spoken to is doing the same thing," Scott said, but when pressed for specific names, he only referenced what the governors of Louisiana, Texas and Wisconsin have said in the past. His spokesman told AP he could not confirm what conversations Scott has had with other governors on the issue.

Scott, the former CEO of a hospital chain, has been a vocal critic of the health care overhaul from the start. He made his first foray into politics by forming a group called Conservatives for Patients' Rights that ran television ads criticizing the proposal before it was adopted by Congress.

Scott has also complained about the growing cost of Medicaid, the $21 billion safety net program that primarily aids the poor but also picks up nursing home bills for senior citizens. The governor backed a push by the Republican-controlled Legislature to shift Medicaid patients into managed care programs, a move that is still awaiting federal approval.

Scott has rejected federal money in the past, most notably $2.4 billion for high speed rail. His administration has also said no to some money attached to the Affordable Care Act.

But Scott has said yes to money associated with the federal stimulus program and he has changed some of the positions he advocated during his run for governor. Scott also must weigh the politics of saying no to Medicaid because of tight budgets, while it is likely he will continue to push for substantial tax cuts between now and his re-election campaign in 2014.

According to Census data released last year, Florida had the nation's third-highest rate of residents without health insurance during the past three years.

President Obama's health care law called for states in 2014 to expand Medicaid eligibility to those making up to 133 percent of the poverty level, or $29,326 for a family of four. While estimates vary, the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration has concluded that as many as 1.95 million more people would join Medicaid and other state-subsidized health insurance programs over the next five years.

Most of the cost, running into the billions, would be absorbed by the federal government. The Medicaid expansion would not cost the state anything until 2017 — although AHCA estimates that changes to other state-subsidized programs would require state money starting in 2014. AHCA estimates that the overall cost to the state would be $2.4 billion between 2013 and 2018 with the federal government picking up nearly $26 billion.

But other groups analyzing the potential changes contend that state officials have "hyper-inflated" the potential costs because they assume too many people will enroll.

The ultimate choice, however, won't be Scott's alone. It will also be decided by the Legislature.
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A

Arment

Member
So, theoretically, Obama is re-elected and then Rick Scott does what? What would happen if he continued to refuse?
 
M

Matt

Member
Great, so the good people of Florida will get rid of this fool and install someone that, you know, cares about their wellbeing.
 
K

Kusagari

Member
Rick Scott is probably the most hated political figure in the country.

I thank him for actually assuring a democrat will finally become governor of this dumb state again.
 
A

Arment

Member
Matt said:
Great, so the good people of Florida will get rid of this fool and install someone that, you know, cares about their wellbeing.
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Except that they'll believe everything Rick Scott (R) says and vote for him in droves to stop the socialism.

Gr1mLock said:
Federal law > State law. Im sure you can fill in the blanks.
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I know Federal law > State law. I can't fill the blanks in though. I'm guessing Rick Scott will cave eventually and is just making a show, but if he continued to refuse I'm not sure what kind of action would be taken so that's why I asked.
 
T

The Librarian

Banned
He can't be made to take the Medicaid expansion (dunno why he'd turn down all that money), but if he doesn't set up the exchanges the federal government will do it for him.

He and Bobby Jindal need to, for lack of a better phrase, put up or shut up. They decry how bad the health care law is and how disastrous it will be for their states, but you don't see them proposing any solutions of their own. The law gives states the freedom to implement their own system from 2017 and beyond (Obama wants to move this date to 2014). What are your solutions, Rick? Where are your answers, Bobby? Republicans have control of the state legislature in both states, I think. Go ahead! Work something out!

These men refuse to go big like Peter Shumlin. He thinks he can do better in Vermont, and he's going full steam ahead. Stop crying about it and do something.
 
P

Princess Viola

Member
Ah, making my home state proud.

Honestly, I think South Florida should just become it's own state. When you think about it, north Florida is more like the rest of the south and south Florida is more like the northern USA.
 
M

Matt

Member
Arment said:
Except that they'll believe everything Rick Scott (R) says and vote for him in droves to stop the socialism.
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Rick Scott has fucking abysmal approval ratings, and if the 2010 election was held again he would be killed. He is not a well loved Governor (not that many are).
 
K

Kusagari

Member
Arment said:
Except that they'll believe everything Rick Scott (R) says and vote for him in droves to stop the socialism.
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He barely beat a lame duck candidate in Alex Sink to begin with. And that was in a year where the Tea Party craze and Obama hatred were at a fever pitch. He's not winning in 2014.
 
A

Arment

Member
Matt said:
Rick Scott has fucking abysmal approval ratings, and if the 2010 election was held again he would be killed. He is not a well loved Governor (not that many are).
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Kusagari said:
He barely beat a lame duck candidate in Alex Sink to begin with. And that was in a year where the Tea Party craze and Obama hatred were at a fever pitch. He's not winning in 2014.
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I hope so, damn. Moving back down there for school in a month. I haven't seen his polls, I just assumed they would be polarized.
 
T

thefit

Member
He's mad because he's already been caught steeling government money and knows he wont be able to it it again. Yes Florida elected themselves a crook.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rick_Scott




Columbia/HCA fraud case details

On March 19, 1997, investigators from the FBI, the Internal Revenue Service and the Department of Health and Human Services served search warrants at Columbia/HCA facilities in El Paso and on dozens of doctors with suspected ties to the company.[21] The Columbia/HCA board of directors pressured Scott to resign as Chairman and CEO following the inquiry.[22] He was paid $9.88 million in a settlement. He also left owning 10 million shares of stock worth over $350 million.[23][24][25] In 1999, Columbia/HCA changed its name back to HCA, Inc.

In settlements reached in 2000 and 2002, Columbia/HCA pled guilty to 14 felonies and agreed to a $600+ million fine in the largest fraud settlement in US history. Columbia/HCA admitted systematically overcharging the government by claiming marketing costs as reimbursable, by striking illegal deals with home care agencies, and by filing false data about use of hospital space. They also admitted fraudulently billing Medicare and other health programs by inflating the seriousness of diagnoses and to giving doctors partnerships in company hospitals as a kickback for the doctors referring patients to HCA. They filed false cost reports, fraudulently billing Medicare for home health care workers, and paid kickbacks in the sale of home health agencies and to doctors to refer patients. In addition, they gave doctors "loans" never intending to be repaid, free rent, free office furniture, and free drugs from hospital pharmacies.[4][5][6][7][8]

In late 2002, HCA agreed to pay the U.S. government $631 million, plus interest, and pay $17.5 million to state Medicaid agencies, in addition to $250 million paid up to that point to resolve outstanding Medicare expense claims.[26] In all, civil law suits cost HCA more than $2 billion to settle, by far the largest fraud settlement in US history.[27]
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N

Nakazato

Member
1st no bullet train now this.... Fuck you buddy


Diablos said:
Hey FL gaffers, could Scott hand the state to Obama in the fall if he's so unpopular there?
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Nope. Seems like Race relations in Florida since Obama have been pretty bad. Theres quite a few ppl on my facebook that I grew up with that or now hardcore anti-black calling us jagga boos and monkeys and mind you there were good friends that I would hang out with invite over ect ect ect


thefit said:
He's mad because he's already been caught steeling government money and knows he wont be able to it it again. Yes Florida elected themselves a crook.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rick_Scott
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SMFH
 
A

Arment

Member
Not happy to be moving back either, but that's where my family lives and they're my pillar while I'm in school. I want to move back to California or North Carolina when I finish school.

It's depressing driving down there for visits as I watch the scenery devolve from gorgeous forests, hills and mountains to flat dull deep green marshland and swamps.
 
D

Devolution

Member
You know the more I read about politics the more I think that we do need two countries because of how polarized this shit is. Plus then the democrats could be the new right for the blue states and we could get some real liberals.
 
S

shadyspace

Banned
Devolution said:
You know the more I read about politics the more I think that we do need two countries because of how polarized this shit is. Plus then the democrats could be the new right for the blue states and we could get some real liberals.
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Lincoln fucked us hard.
 
T

thefit

Member
Devolution said:
You know the more I read about politics the more I think that we do need two countries because of how polarized this shit is. Plus then the democrats could be the new right for the blue states and we could get some real liberals.
Click to expand...

This already happened and their side lost they just have a hard time accepting it.
 
D

Diablos

Member
Devolution said:
You know the more I read about politics the more I think that we do need two countries because of how polarized this shit is. Plus then the democrats could be the new right for the blue states and we could get some real liberals.
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I've only been saying this since 2003 when I first started to really pay attention to politics.

Maybe when we're old it will happen.

Reagan killed liberalism. We still have some social liberalism of course, but it has a corporate streak to it usually.
 
S

Strike

Member
tumblr_m4vdszZsjr1rtzbweo1_400.gif


Obligatory.
 
Z

Zee-Row

Banned
Aiko Heiwa said:
Ah, making my home state proud.

Honestly, I think South Florida should just become it's own state. When you think about it, north Florida is more like the rest of the south and south Florida is more like the northern USA.
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The Cuban politicians there have run that place to the ground , South Florida is the hot bed of corruption when it comes to Florida.
 
Link

Link

The Autumn Wind
Thank God I live in Broward, away from the insanity to the north and the corruption to the south.
 
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