Janelle Irwin Taylor
U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor is calling on Florida House Republicans to approve a plan to extend subsidized health coverage to 800,000 uninsured Floridians.
A couple of House Democrats, a union vice president and a hospital representative joined Castor at a news conference Wednesday at the St. Petersburg Chamber of Commerce. They rallied in an attempt to demonstrate broad support for the Senate proposal that would draw down $51 billion in federal funding to pay for expanded health coverage for the working poor.
The GOP-controlled House has refused even the most modest Medicaid expansion proposals for myriad reasons including claims the federal government might not hold up its end of the bargain. They also contend Medicaid is a broken system and taxes shouldn’t pay to expand what’s already broken.
The revised Senate plan largely addresses those concerns. If the federal government doesn’t pay, the state can pull the plug on expanding health care access to the poor. The plan also has been updated to place enrollees directly into a private system instead of into the state-run Medicaid.
To sweeten the deal for the conservative House, the Senate has also included provisions that would establish minimum requirements for job hunting including a mandate that unemployed people in the program enroll in CareerSource Florida to help them find a job.
“We need your help,” Castor said urging constituents to contact their representatives. “We have got to convince our Republican House members to get to the bargaining table and bring our tax dollars home.”
At issue is the state budget. Passing one is the only mandated requirement of the legislature and they failed to get it done during the regular Legislative Session. House leadership pulled the plug on the session three days early saying the budget process was at an impasse.
“I want to apologize on behalf of my legislature for the dereliction of duty in walking away from work,” Tampa state Rep. Janet Cruz said.
The biggest and perhaps sole sticking point in the budget was a gap created by an estimated $1 billion loss in Low Income Pool funding that reimburses hospitals for some of its uncompensated care. The federal government is scaling the program back because, under the provisions of the Affordable Care Act, expanded Medicaid should reduce the cost of indigent care.
Because Florida has still not expanded its system, however, those numbers aren’t expected to shrink.
“Rather than this inefficient Low Income Pool (that doesn’t) fit in the modern health delivery system anymore,” Castor said. “The more efficient and wise use of our tax dollars is coverage so that folks can see a doctor on a regular basis, not just giving uncompensated care payments to hospitals and leaving people out.”
Bruce Rueben with the Florida Hospital Association agreed that House Republicans should accept the Senate’s plan when they return to Tallahassee Monday to start the Special Session.
“Why would the business community come together to support such an effort?” Rueben said. “Because we know that it is the most cost-effective way to deal with the health care challenges that our state faces.”
Rueben is also with the group Healthy Florida Works that represents more than 200 hospitals across the state.
Even the location of Castor’s press conference was an attempt to stamp out rampant partisanship that has arisen in the Florida health care debate. The St. Petersburg Chamber is also on board with the Senate’s plan that they see as a good compromise to protect both the state and its taxpayers.
“We talk about, ‘let’s get back to work.’ Let’s get healthy and get back to work,” state Rep. Dwight Dudley said.
