A.G. Gancarski
Florida Gov. Rick Scott, who has asserted that he is helping President Donald Trump work on a replacement for “Obamacare,” made his feelings known about the Affordable Care Act again on Friday.
In an editorial on CNN‘s website, Scott made a number of points.
Among them, that the Affordable Care Act was nothing more than an expansion of the welfare state, and an usurpation of state’s rights when it comes to handling Medicaid.
“With Obamacare,” Scott writes, “President Obama enacted a massive expansion of the welfare state. And, not surprisingly, Obamacare has resulted in widespread increases in premiums and costs are expected to continue increasing.”
Scott’s preferred option — and likely the one the Trump administration will land on — block grants to the states for low-income health care.
“States can do a far better job administering the Medicaid program than the federal government can. If Florida is given the flexibility to run our own Medicaid program, we will be more efficient and less wasteful than the federal government,” Scott notes.
“Liberal Democrats,” asserts Gov. Scott, “have a game plan for America: everything for free, provided by the government, paid for with your tax dollars. There is a name for this approach, and it is called socialism. President Obama gave it a try, and in the process he proved what we already knew — it does not work.”
“Government assistance must be the last resort,” Scott adds, “not the first stop. This is no time for Republicans to go wobbly or get weak in the knees about repealing Obamacare. If we refuse to roll back the welfare state, what real purpose do we serve?”
With many people expecting Scott, termed out next year, to challenge Democrat Bill Nelson for his Senate seat, an oped like this serves multiple purposes.
It reminds national conservatives that, when it came to Medicaid expansion, the governor fought Washington and won.
It allows the governor to frame the current debate around what he has accomplished in Florida.
And, most importantly, it provides a framework for what might come out of Washington this year regarding reform of the current health care schematic.
Expect more op-eds like this in the weeks ahead.
2 comments
Samiael
January 27, 2017 at 6:17 pm
This shameless man should have been convicted for defrauding Medicare. The poor and disadvantage who are receiving assistance have more morals and integrity than this thief. He should have been in jail rather than sitting in a Governors mansion.. This is very hilarious, a crook should first think that stealing from the Government is worst than getting Government assistance.
Becky Jamin
January 27, 2017 at 8:30 pm
The Affordable Care Act is NOT the cause of insurance premiums rising. Insurance companies are the cause! They take as much money, from people, as they can and then deny coverage for, sometimes, lifesaving tests and pay little for such medications. When will we stop blaming ‘Obama care’ (which, by the way, was originally ‘Rommney care’, and lay the blame where it belongs, on the greedy doctors and insurance companies!
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