Rick Scott: Medicaid Expansion Would Strain State Budgets

States can't afford the financial burden of expanding Medicaid

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I agree with Rick Scott's final conclusion of being unsupportive of medicaid expansion in the state of Florida. Yet if he is to bolster his platform beyond just fiscal common sense, he must include in his debate, the unhealthyness involved in the providers relationship with the government program and the patients over reliance on external versions of health that weaken the individual to an unhealthy standard of living. The health program rings a bit like "no child left behind" in our education debate. However schools, teachers and children never really took to that manner of top down educational agenda and this medicaid plan will be the same.

It disempowers the individual from taking 100 percent responsibility for their own health and well being which is the basic scientific tenant to good health. Anything less and you have seeds of illness. Reliance on government handouts lead to provider abuse and upgrading diagnosis to recieve more funding because they will not get paid on lesser diagnosis. Which will show up in research as a fact that we have more illness in our country when we don't. We just have to see more illness in order to validate the fact that we are correct in our descisions in order to get paid.

It can be very responsible and healthy to not support mandated medical care or even insurance while being a true responsible American and human being. paying out of pocket for the immediate treatment at hand and not the fear of some unproven illness may go back to the 1920's but may be the most American thing ever done. Rick take this issue to sand and yet take it all the way beyond fiscal common sense, take it to the true issue of wanting healthy, content, empowered human beings in the state of florida and all of America.

ted whetherby of FL 10:48AM September 09, 2012

Excuse me, I mean that my income is no longer fueling Florida's economy, as Florida does not have a personal income tax.

Muriel of WA 2:02PM August 22, 2012

"We don't need the federal government telling us what to do when it comes to meeting the needs of the citizens of our states." Thank God we can move to a different state! Child support was never enforced while I was living in Florida, and yet was enforced within 45 days by Washington State. Rick Scott completely misses the needs of his citizens. So grateful to no longer be a resident of Florida and grateful that my income taxes are no longer funding the bureaucratic ineptitude of Florida State.

Muriel of WA 1:59PM August 22, 2012

The government will cover all costs at 100% for three years, 90% after that. Now currently the government picks up 50%, the rest is covered by the taxpayers. You want the citizens to believe your explaintion using blind faith, and we all know that you want us to be blind for a reason. The people who will miss out on this program due to your greedy conservative ideology will suffer and die. These are our fellow humans, and your lack of empathy is horrifying. You lied about the high speed rail project, about the Medicaid expansion and voter fraud. You don't deserve to govern the great state of Florida. I have been a small business owner for over 25 years, and what you are doing to this state gets me sick to my stomach. For the good of the citizens who struggle to survive everyday....find another job.

Sodney18511 of FL 3:59PM July 29, 2012

Well, why dont we just get a $30.00 a month health insurance policy like the governor and his closest friends have and we wont have to worry about adding another person to the Medicaid program. why should it be that millionaires like the governor gets all the breaks and the poor people who dont have a job because they can not find one have to be the ones to pay dearly for it. If it aint good for all, it aint good for none.

Joe Barroso of FL 12:12PM July 29, 2012

As a native Floridian and small business owner I have carefully monitored Governor Rick Scott's policies and lack of results. He has been a disaster on virtually every front.

The "Let's get to work" campaign slogan that got him elected promised 700,000 new jobs - a number he now denies. His regressive, short-sighted and destructive corporate welfare policies have created less than 2% of that number of real, new jobs to date.

As a result, "One Term Scott" has one of the highest "Unfavorable" ratings of any politician in the country - even his Republican cronies don't want his endorsements, photo ops or campaign help.

Just prior to becoming our Governor, the healthcare company that CEO Rick Scott founded paid the largest fine in United States history for Medicare Fraud. His firm cheated US taxpayers out of hundreds of millions of dollars. Governor Scott stayed out of prison and pocketed hundreds of millions "earned" during his tenure.

Governor Scott has used "job creation" as an excuse for pursuing destructive and wasteful policies that will have a negative impact on the state's fiscal health and quality of life for generations of Floridians. He has dismantled responsible growth, water and environmental protections, approved a bogus, politically motivated University startup, widely known as "Scott's Poly Folly" and commissioned a study to reward wealthy rural land barons with a multi Billion dollar road to nowhere.

To the detriment of the citizen-taxpayers of Florida, Scott has rejected needed and available stimulus, infrastructure, job creation and health-care funds for no other reason than to snub the President.

He wasted tens if not hundreds of thousands of our tax dollars in a losing battle against health care reform. And now that this has failed, he is rejecting much needed and available federal Medicaid funds.

Unfortunately, Florida desperately needs additional Medicaid funds. Massive unemployment means a vast population in Florida has no insurance coverage. There are also tens of thousands of irresponsible deadbeats that do not carry insurance they CAN afford and leave it up to others to clean up their mess.

And therefore, when they get sick or injured, they get outrageously expensive medical care in hospital emergency rooms. They can't (or refuse to) pay, the hospital shifts those writeoffs to the folks that have health insurance and our insurance premiums skyrocket while our coverage goes down.

Many doctors dislike the conservative payment structure and reject Medicaid patients. They don't like that there are reasonable and needed rules to prevent costly, endless and unnecessary tests and questionable treatments. While Medicaid is not perfect, (and is certainly less profitable for doctors), it is a vital stopgap to help those that are truly in need.

Rick Scott has done enough damage to our state. Ask most Floridians. The best way for Governor Rick Scott to help Florida is to resign...IMMEDIATELY.

FBENNETT of FL 10:35PM July 27, 2012

You can agree or disagree with the Governor, but ask your own doctor if expanding Medicaid is a good thing.

For many years I was in the Healthcare Industry, and several doctors continued to opt out of Medicaid not only because of the minimal payment for services, but the mandates that dictated what procedures/services could be performed or not. Your healthcare should never be decided by politicians or Senate Bills, but between you and doctor.

In 2005, we were told that both Medicare & Medicaid would be bankrupt by 2014. Take a look at your W2 forms, and see how much you are paying for Medicare & Social Security, you know the amounts you can not deduct. Then look ahead to 2014, and see how much you will be paying. NOTHING is FREE, nothing. When you take into account that less than 50% if Americans pay income taxes, this burden will be placed on us, to pay for everyone else.

Our great Country must stop expanding Government, as it will implode on itself. 1 out 5 Americans are already receiving some type of Government assistance, such as Welfare or Food Stamps. Heck there is even advertisements to invite more people to get on the Government Assistance bandwagon. Just like those so-called free cell phones, (btw, take a good look at your cell phone bill, that's right for every person that pays for their cell phones, are paying for the free-cell phones). Again, nothing is Free.

This type of expansion of healthcare will further divide the social classes. The individuals that can afford their own healthcare will receive the best treatment, then those on Obamacare will have their healthcare mandated by the Government.

This is a disaster in the making, but so many Americans have their hands out. What ever happened to the American Dream of being proud of what you accomplished, now the new dream is being proud of what you can get out the Government.

Wake up, nothing is free!

Rebecca of FL 11:17AM July 27, 2012

Governor Scott has no control over the state of Florida . Medicaid fraud, not medicaid is hurting the state.While I had Medicaid, I fired two doctors. They put me through expensive tests that had nothing to do with my health issues. Neither one addressed the issues while I was a patient.

I operate five homeless shelters and take no pay. For that, the great state of Florida took my medicaid, and I can not get proper medical treatment. Even though we save taXpayers over five million dollars per year.

From homeless grants to mental health, etc etc, Florida probably leads the US in fraud.

And they know it. Just not how to fix it. Who do they think pays for uninsured people anyway ? Taxpayers. Stop the fraud, and increase medicaid. It will work.

James M Sleighter

Founder & Executive Director

Mission in Citrus Homeless Shelters

Where the homeless help each other.

Crystal River Emergency Shelters

Hernando Veteran’s Outreach Center

Inverness Veterans Shelter

Floral City Family Shelter

Florida’s fastest growing Shelters

My Cell ( 352 ) 270 –help ( 4357 )

Main Number ( 352 ) 794-3825

Main Fax ( 352 ) 794-3826

Main Address

Mission in Citrus Inc

2488 North Pennsylvania Ave

Crystal River Florida 34428

May God Bless you in all you do.

James M Sleighter of FL 9:54PM July 26, 2012

Thank you, Governor Scott for being fiscally responsible with Florida's budget and we the Florida tax payers.

Alice of FL 6:08PM July 26, 2012

As a native Floridian and small business owner I have carefully monitored Governor Rick Scott's policies and lack of results. He has been a disaster on virtually every front. As a result, "One Term Scott" has one of the highest "Unfavorable" ratings of any politician in the country - even his Republican cronies don't want his endorsements, photo ops or campaign help.

Just prior to becoming our esteemed Governor, the healthcare company that Rick Scott founded and was the CEO of paid the Largest Fine in United States History for Medicare Fraud. His firm cheated US taxpayers out of Hundreds of Millions of Dollars. Governor Scott stayed out of prison and pocketed tens (if not hundreds) of millions "earned" during his tenure.

Scott took this money and spent tens of millions of dollars in a largely self funded campaign to buy the Governor's office. His slogan "Let's Get to Work." was effective for his campaign (promising to create 700,000 jobs - a number now denied) but his policies have been an absolute failure in getting Floridians back to work. He spins numbers showing progress on the jobs front, but much of that "success" has been from dismantling Florida's already meager unemployment compensation safety net. When someone laid off is denied or drops off unemployment before finding a job, they are magically no longer "unemployed". When an executive earning $100,000 is laid off but finds a job selling shoes for $25,000, Scott claims he has created a job.

He has used "job creation" as an excuse for pursuing destructive and wasteful policies that will have a negative impact on the state's fiscal health and quality of life for generations of Floridians. He has dismantled responsible growth, water and environmental protections, approved a bogus, politically motivated University startup, universally known as "Scott's Poly Folly" and commissioned a study to reward wealthy landowners with a multi Billion dollar road to nowhere.

His main goal since taking office seems to be jamming his thumb into President Obama's eye. He turned down millions of dollars in needed Federal stimulus money. Refused to allow Obama to build high speed rail in Florida in spite of need, massive job creation, existing right of way and a stake in America's transportation future. He led the fight against ObamaCare and wasted tens if not hundreds of thousands of Floridians tax dollars in the process.

And now that he has lost that battle, he is fighting desperately needed Medicare funding for our state. Massive unemployment means a vast population in Florida has no insurance coverage. And therefore, when they get sick or injured, they get outrageously expensive medical care in hospital emergency rooms. They can't pay, the hospital shifts those writeoffs to the folks that have health insurance and our insurance premiums skyrocket while our coverage goes down.

ask most Floridians. The best way for Governor Rick Scott to help Florida is to resign...IMMEDIATELY.

FBENNETT of FL 5:56PM July 26, 2012

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