Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

Julie DelegalMay 3, 2015

Just as House lawmakers were putting together their annual “trains” – cramming multiple, tangentially related bills into hundreds of pages of amendments so they could pass them all at the eleventh hour – a funny thing happened. They upped and quit. On April 27, House Speaker Steve Crisafulli prematurely banged his gavel, ending the session […]

Bob SparksApril 30, 2015

What a week. First, Gov. Rick Scott and Attorney General Pam Bondi announced Florida is suing the Obama administration over the Medicaid expansion issue. Then, we witnessed some remarkable political gamesmanship when the House adjourned three days early. The words “insurmountable differences” on the budget and Medicaid expansion accompanied the banging gavel in the House […]

Christine Jordan SextonApril 30, 2015

Gov. Rick Scott unveiled what appears to be an ambitious health care agenda he plans on tackling before July 1. Although the governor didn’t have a health care agenda going into the 2015 session, Scott announced one in a news release Thursday. He vowed to develop a Commission on Healthcare and Hospital Funding that will, […]

Associated PressApril 29, 2015

The Obama administration said Wednesday it had not changed its position on Medicaid expansion and hospital funds, despite contrary interpretations from lawmakers. The confusion came a day after Gov. Rick Scott filed a federal lawsuit accusing the Obama administration of coercing Florida into expanding Medicaid by withholding more than $1 billion in hospital funds. The […]

Christine Jordan SextonApril 28, 2015

Gov. Rick Scott filed a lawsuit in federal court in Pensacola on Tuesday seeking declaratory relief that the Obama administration violated the U.S. Constitution by withholding supplemental Medicaid funding from the state in the form of Low Income Pool money. The lawsuit was filed shortly after the House of Representatives announced it was adjourning for […]

Christine Jordan SextonApril 27, 2015

Senate President Andy Gardiner on Monday sent letters to federal and state officials regarding Florida’s effort to win approval of a revamped hospital funding formula. The uncertainty over the loss of more than $1 billion in federal aid has resulted in a budget standoff between the House and Senate. The Agency for Health Care Administration […]

Christine Jordan SextonApril 25, 2015

The House and Senate exchanged and rejected budget offers on Friday and with one week left in the Session the two chambers continue to disagree over how to finance health care and whether 800,000 working Floridians should receive health care access. House Speaker Steve Crisafulli said if the chambers cannot find a “reasonable approach to […]

Christine Jordan SextonApril 24, 2015

The House has rejected the Senate’s proposal to extend the session until June 30. Instead, on Friday it increased its offer to $600 million in contingency funding to pad the loss of supplemental Medicaid funding if the Senate would back away from its push to expand Medicaid to low-income working Floridians. The money would draw […]

Christine Jordan SextonApril 24, 2015

The Florida Senate has not backed off its position that working uninsured Floridians need to have access to health insurance and that the Medicaid supplemental program known as Low Income Pool should remain intact. In a counteroffer to the House’s offer to put $200 million into health care financing the Senate held firm on its […]

Christine Jordan SextonApril 23, 2015

With just one week left in the regular legislative session the House on Thursday offered to spend $200 million in general revenue to help fund hospitals in the absence of the federal Low Income Pool. “It is a proposal that is on their desk right now,” House Speaker Steve Crisafulli told reporters as he announced […]

Tag: low income pool

Julie Delegal: Slackers in the Florida House leave 800,000 Floridians exposed

Bob Sparks: Do new statements jump-start budget negotiations?

Rick Scott’s agenda: A no-LIP budget, end of certificates of need

Barack Obama hasn’t changed course on LIP, Medicaid

Rick Scott sues feds over Obamacare, Low Income Pool dollars

Andy Gardiner sends letters to feds, state on Medicaid expansion

Offers fly but still no budget agreement

House offers Senate $600 million to walk away from Medicaid expansion

Senate counters House with Medicaid expansion; other health care items may be in play

House offers $200 million to Senate to revive budget talks