Obamacare Medicaid Expansion: Florida House Panel Says No Thanks

Florida Gov. Rick Scott’s recent flip-flop on Obamacare might be a moot point. It looks like the plan to expand the state’s Medicaid coverage to another 1 million or so people is falling flat with other Florida lawmakers.

A state House committee recently decided that expanding Medicaid to provide care for the uninsured wasn’t the way to go, according to a report on TBO.com. Committee members, TBO reported, said they were concerned about the quality of care and the costs associated with the proposal.

Scott recently said he’d go along with the notion of expanding Medicaid since the federal government would be paying for it for the first three years as part of the Obamacare package, which is more formally known as the Affordable Care Act.

The Florida Senate has yet to take up the issue. Legislative approval is required for the expansion to move forward.

Does the state need to find a better way for the uninsured to receive medical care?

According to state Rep. Richard Corcoran, R-Land O’ Lakes, the answer is yes.

But, “Medicaid expansion is not it,” TBO reported him as saying.

So what do you think, Tampa Bay? Do you agree with Corcoran that expanding Medicaid isn’t the way to go? How would you provide coverage for the estimated 1.3 million people the expansion would help? Or, do you think the state needs to stay out of the healthcare business as much as possible? Share your thoughts in the comments section.