 At a press conference on June 28, 2012, the day of the Supreme Court ruling on the Affordable Care Act, Florida Governor Rick Scott expresses his disappointment about the Court's decision. Less than one week later, Scott announced that his state would opt out of the Medicaid expansion. He has since reversed that decision. (AP Photo/Steve Cannon) | Florida: Opting in 25.3% uninsured Just yesterday, Florida’s Republican Governor Rick Scott said his state would sign on for the first three years of the Medicaid expansion program. His decision was a dramatic reversal of his earlier opinion — Scott, a former health care executive and investor who successfully pushed to privatize Medicaid in his state, was one of the first governors to announce that his state would be opting out of the Medicaid expansion. He even wrote an op-ed in July about his distaste for the Medicaid expansion in U.S. News & World Report. “The Medicaid expansion would put other vital government functions like education, public safety, and infrastructure at risk,” he wrote. “Frankly, that isn’t something I’m willing to do.” But by February, Scott had changed his mind. “While the federal government is committed to paying 100 percent of the cost, I cannot in good conscience deny Floridians that needed access to health care,” Scott said at a news conference. He said the recent death of his mother, who had raised Scott and his four siblings with “very little money,” contributed to his change of heart. “Losing someone so close to you puts everything in a new perspective, especially the big decisions,” he said. |
Where do America’s Most Uninsured States Stand on the Obamacare Medicaid Expansion?
November 1, 2012, Updated February 21, 2013
