Medicaid Program – Florida

Fla. Medicaid program in limbo, By Kelli Kennedy (AP), October 7, 2012, Miami Herald: “Millions of uninsured Florida families and health care providers are in a purgatory of sorts. Gov. Rick Scott and the Republican-led Legislature want to privatize the state’s Medicaid program, but need the Obama administration’s permission. The Obama administration wants to make more low-income Floridians eligible for Medicaid, but needs Scott and the Legislature to agree. The sides have been negotiating a package deal for more than a year and won’t comment. Without a solution billions of federal dollars could go to other states and many uninsured Floridians will continue to receive their health care in emergency rooms – the most expensive, least effective place. Safety nets, like community health centers, say they don’t have enough funding to keep up as more uninsured patients end up in their waiting rooms…”