Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

Jim RosicaSeptember 29, 2015

Gov. Rick Scott, normally a foe of business regulations, on Tuesday stood by his call to layer more regulations onto Florida hospitals in an effort to make health care costs more transparent. “This is all about patients and empowering patients,” he told reporters after a Florida Cabinet meeting. “They should know what (a procedure) costs […]

Guest AuthorJuly 12, 2015

Florida is not an early adapter. Most of the time, our state takes a “wait-and-see” attitude regarding nearly any health policy, social program or economic strategy that has been attempted by another state’s legislature. In some cases, no amount of positive data on a successful program is enough to convince our leadership to move in […]

Christine Jordan SextonJune 25, 2015

After six months of political jockeying, litigation, and one-upsmanship Florida and the federal government have agreed in principle to $1.6 billion in supplemental Medicaid funds over the next two years. Most of those funds, $1 billion, have been allocated in the budget Rick Scott signed into law on Tuesday. A little more than $600 million, […]

Christine Jordan SextonJune 23, 2015

Gov. Rick Scott on Tuesday claimed victory after the federal government notified the state of an “agreement in principle” that lays the framework of how Florida can spend $1.6 billion in supplemental Medicaid spending over the next four years. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Director Vikki Wachino‘s coveted agreement letter for the Low Income […]

Christine Jordan SextonJune 19, 2015

House budget chief Richard Corcoran has a message for Gov. Rick Scott. “I would tell the governor to go forth boldly and veto,” Corcoran, said paraphrasing Martin Luther. Corcoran worked with Senate budget chief Tom Lee to hammer out a nearly $79 billion spending plan for fiscal year 2015-16. Addressing a group of reporters outside […]

Christine Jordan SextonJune 19, 2015

Florida’s legislative leaders are trying to make the health care financing decisions they made during the June Special Session veto-proof. The Florida House and Senate were at odds throughout the 2015 Regular Legislative Session on health care spending and policy. Indeed, the inability to agree on how much additional Medicaid funding to include in the […]

Christine Jordan SextonJune 17, 2015

A federal judge in Pensacola cancelled an evidentiary hearing scheduled for Friday that could have required Gov. Rick Scott and Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Sylvia Burwell to appear in court. Judge M. Casey Rodgers issued a one-page ruling on Wednesday saying that lawyers for Scott had filed a notice […]

Ryan RayJune 16, 2015

After working alongside members of the House in a coordinated “No Tax is Safe” tax-cutting crusade, Gov. Rick Scott today signed into law HB33A, a tax package that reduces rates on the Communications Services Tax, reduces various licensure fees and creates a “supercharged” ten-day back-to-school sales tax holiday, to use Rep. Matt Gaetz‘s jaunty phrase. […]

Guest AuthorJune 15, 2015

One of the great advantages of the universe as well as one of its biggest problems is that everything is connected to something. From the forces that act on the tiniest subatomic particle to the most massive of planets, nothing works apart from everything. Nothing exists entirely within a vacuum, completely unaffected by anything around […]

Christine Jordan SextonJune 12, 2015

Legislative leaders on Friday said the House and Senate budget chairs would continue to work over the weekend in order to bring the General Appropriations Act in for a landing. The goal is for a copy of the budget to be on lawmakers’ desks by Tuesday so they can wait the mandated 72 hours before […]

Tag: low income pool
Image via Palatka Main Street.

Rick Scott calls for transparent pricing at hospitals

Gary Stein: Needle exchange is the one-buck no-brainer

Tom Lee says early LIP talk is good for state

Rick Scott says “it took a lawsuit” to get LIP agreement

Richard Corcoran to Rick Scott: “Go forth boldly and veto”

Lawmakers aimed to build a veto-proof health care budget

Hearing on LIP lawsuit scratched; Rick Scott, Sylvia Burwell court appearance off

Rick Scott signs $400 milion tax cut package into law

Gary Stein: 6 degrees of health care is no idle game

Everybody’s working over the weekend, really