Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

Christine Jordan SextonMay 19, 2015

The for-profit hospital chain Hospital Corporation of America is asking Gov. Rick Scott to raise taxes on hospitals. Presidents from the four HCA hospital regions in Florida sent a letter to Scott regarding the Commission on Healthcare and Hospital Funding saying that the Low Income Pool is not a long-term solution and that Scott should […]

Daniel TilsonMay 19, 2015

Simplicity is always in season for some politicians. Cherry-picking what information to share with the public is part and parcel of how some of our most powerful elected officials – Gov. Rick Scott, House Speaker Steve Crisafulli and House Budget Chair Richard Corcoran, to name a few – do government business. You may think the […]

Christine Jordan SextonMay 19, 2015

Florida agencies responded to Gov. Rick Scott‘s call to identify critical needs that may be jeopardized if the state’s budget expires this summer including processing $152 million in child support services a month, ensuring uninterrupted supervision of incarcerated individuals and selling Lottery tickets. From the Office of Insurance Regulation to the Department of Management Services to […]

Christine Jordan SextonMay 18, 2015

The Florida Hospital Association has a message for Florida Gov. Rick Scott: don’t increase our taxes. In a May 18 two-page draft letter, the association has written the governor a letter making clear that the hospitals don’t believe a way to plug the loss of the federal Low Income Pool program is through a tax […]

Christine Jordan SextonMay 15, 2015

Nine days after announcing the dates, the Florida Legislature issued the proclamation for the special session. The call is wide open, including Medicaid expansion, elimination of certificate of need law, direct primary care, state group health insurance changes,the budget and conforming bills from the 2015 regular legislative session and tax relief. As previously announced, the […]

Christine Jordan SextonMay 14, 2015

Rick Scott sent a memo to his agencies on Thursday asking them to compile a list of services people cannot lose and identifying what would be funded in a pared back budget he’s developing for the upcoming year. Scott has refused to directly answer, though, whether he’ll be submitting the information he compiles with the […]

Christine Jordan SextonMay 13, 2015

After an acrimonious and abrupt ending to this year’s session, Florida legislative leaders have started piecing together a framework for a new state budget and to avoid a possible state government shutdown. Some of that framework was discussed in an all-day meeting Wednesday between Sen. Tom Lee and Rep. Richard Corcoran. Gov. Rick Scott for […]

Christine Jordan SextonMay 13, 2015

The Department of Health and Human Services needs to be more transparent when it comes to approving sweeping Medicaid 1115 Demonstration waivers, a report by the U.S. Government Accountability Office asserts. The 69-page GAO report recommends increased transparency in the management of billions dollars spent on health care. It says the Department of Health and […]

Christine Jordan SextonMay 12, 2015

Gov. Rick Scott‘s idea that Florida hospitals share profits to brace for the loss of a $2.2 billion health care financing program is not being warmly received by the the Legislature, which is in charge of allocating Medicaid funding. House Speaker Steve Crisafulli said in a statement Monday that there are “other solutions available that […]

Christine Jordan SextonMay 12, 2015

Sen. David Simmons on Tuesday sent a memo to Florida lawmakers along with an optional editorial he wrote for the Orlando Sentinel calling the Senate’s proposal to expand health care a “path to Medicaid extinction.” In his memo, Simmons said there are “many misconceptions about the Senate’s healthcare plan,” and attached his editorial that was […]

Tag: Medicaid
Golf ball and golf club in bag on green grass

For-profit hospitals ask Rick Scott to increase taxes on them

Daniel Tilson: Gov. Rick Scott puts KISS principle to work in healthcare debate

Agencies respond to Gov. Rick Scott’s request for critical needs

Hospitals tell Rick Scott in a draft letter: don’t tax us

Special session called by Senate and House and it’s wide open on health care, budget

What will Rick Scott do with base budget he’s preparing?

Budget details emerge after top lawmakers meet informally in Tallahassee

GAO report calls for more transparency with Medicaid 1115 waivers

Rick Scott’s profit-sharing idea gets no love from Legislature, hospitals

David Simmons calls Senate health plan “a path to Medicaid extinction”