In a decision that should shock no one, Gov. Rick Scott reversed his decision to support expanding Medicaid to nearly 1 million Floridians this week. Scott supported expansion for two years but suddenly reversed course, leaving those who cannot afford insurance or do not qualify for the Affordable Care Act’s tax credits in a serious bind.
Naturally, Scott blamed the Obama administration for his change of heart, claiming the federal funding for Medicaid expansion is not as extensive as it once was. What makes Scott’s reversal so odd is the building momentum for Medicaid expansion. The state’s business community is rallying around expansion and created the A Healthy Florida Works campaign. Chambers of commerce, businesses and business leaders are pushing Tallahassee to accept the federal funding and finally expand Medicaid. House leadership stood in their way, but as the legislative session started, it appeared Gov. Scott was on the side of the business community. Now, it appears he’s backtracked.
What’s causing Scott’s change of heart? Is it really the money, or is something else in play?
Scott won re-election last year and is term-limited, so he doesn’t have another campaign to run. Or does he?
Last month, the Tampa Bay Times reported that Scott is interested in the U.S. Senate and that he may pursue the seat currently held by Democratic Sen. Bill Nelson in 2018. Yes, despite a majority of Floridians supporting Medicaid expansion, Scott’s decided to take the politically expedient avenue and backtrack. Supporting any expansion of a federal program like Medicaid possibly sinks Scott with the far right wing of the Republican Party, which will be crucial to securing the U.S. Senate nomination in 2018.
In a recent poll conducted by Public Policy Polling, only Republicans oppose Medicaid expansion. Coincidence? Scott’s obviously putting politics ahead of the people he governs. But after four-plus years in office, should we expect anything less from him?
There’s no guarantee Scott will run for Senate, but if his eye is on his own political future and not the health of a million Floridians, his decision makes perfect sense. Blaming the Obama administration for his refusal to expand Medicaid is one more feather in his cap that he can use to rally conservatives to his campaign. For Scott, this is a calculated move with an eye to the future, and Floridians cannot ignore his actions.
Scott rode into Tallahassee opposing the Affordable Care Act after having run a company guilty of committing the largest Medicare fraud in U.S. history at that time. Now, even with support from the business community and a majority of Floridians, Scott has returned to his 2010 campaign rhetoric.
The reversal has dire consequences for a state with a million residents who could benefit directly from Medicaid expansion. A recent study by the Urban Institute found that Florida stands to lose $66 billion in federal funding by not expanding Medicaid, the most of any state. Hospitals could lose $22.6 billion, second only to hospitals in Texas. Refusing to expand Medicaid has consequences far beyond those who cannot access affordable health care. It’s time both Gov. Scott and opponents in the state house look at the data, the support among businesses and the one million Floridians counting on expansion.
According to A Healthy Florida Works, businesses had to assist in covering $3 billion in hospital costs for those who couldn’t afford their own care. They essentially chalk it up to a hidden tax on businesses and Floridians with health insurance, and it’s something that’s completely avoidable. Expand Medicaid and the hidden tax disappears, hospitals receive the Medicaid reimbursements they’re losing and one million Floridians gain health insurance.
Expansion is a win for individuals, hospitals, businesses and Florida. It’s time Scott and the House leadership put aside the politics and do what’s right. Maybe then, a few Floridians will actually take a Scott for Senate campaign seriously.
Joel Mendelson is a second-year UF political campaigning graduate student. His column appears on Fridays.
[A version of this story ran on page 6 on 4/10/2015 under the headline “Gov. Scott’s Medicaid reversal puts politics first”]
