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The low income pool to support patients at Florida hospitals fell from $1B to $608M under Obama but now Trump is increasing the low income pool funding to $1.5B. Rick Scott claims that increasing federal funds for low income rather than using the Medicaid Expansion provides states with more freedom.
Quote:
WASHINGTON — The Trump administration appears to have scrapped one of the key tools the Obama administration used to encourage states to expand Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act.
The shift involves funding that the federal government provides to help hospitals defray the cost of caring for low-income people who are uninsured. Under a deal with Florida, the federal government has tentatively agreed to provide additional money for the state’s “low-income pool,” in a reversal of the previous administration’s policy
Think it might have to do with Florida rejecting the Medicaid expansion? Since they didn't expand it, they (like several other states) would inherently have a higher uninsured pool than a state that did.
The funding plan that would provide less uninsured funding assistance and more Medicaid funding assistance would not be a benefit to states like Florida. It's a no-brainer to shift the funds around.
I don't see the benefit to Fl unless they are getting more federal funding (non-Medicaid) to support the uninsured rather than through the Medicaid Expansion. What does this additional freedom allow that couldn't be accomplished under the Medicaid Expansion.
Rick Scott, Republican Governor of Florida doesn't want to expand Medicaid but he sure puts his hand out to the federal government to ask for federal tax dollars to pay for uninsured poor people that use the emergency room and don't pay.
He's still asking the feds for money. You'd think if he refuses to expand Medicaid, that this means he doesn't want federal tax money to be given to Florida. Nope, he still wants federal tax money.
In the mean time, because these poor people that fell through the cracks because Fl refused Medicaid Expansion...those people go to the emergency room for ultra expensive medical care and they don't pay the bill. This means their medical care costs much more than it would if they went to the doctor which costs less than the emergency room. So taxpayers end up with a larger 'emergency room' bill because Rick Scott refuses to expand Medicaid in Florida, yet he still asks for (and receives) $1.5 Billion (for 1 year) of Federal tax money.
By doing this, the governor if Florida is wasting a lot of taxpayer's money on extra expensive emergency room care instead of being fiscally conservative so that those poor people could just go to regular doctors that cost a fraction of the emergeny room.
Not very fiscally conservative. But if Trump bails Florida out and hands over $1.5 billion, then the Gov of FL has a free pass to continue to allow people to use the emergency room for the general healthcare, even though it's much much more espensive.
We all pay for it with our federal tax money.
Last edited by sware2cod; 05-01-2017 at 08:17 AM..
If the $1.5B is just a payment not to expand Medicaid then it makes little or no sense.
Florida got it every YEAR pre-ACA although the amt varies a bit. It's not a one time payment. It's usually in the $1billlion - $2 billion range.
Obama lowered it greatly last year as a one time final deal because he told FL if they want federal money to pay for healthcare of uninsured, then they need to expand medicaid. The federal payments to FL were supposed to cease this year but Trump decided to hand over $1.5 billion to his buddy Rick Scott.
Rick Scott campaigned hard for Trump. If Rick Scott didn't put his neck out for Trump, then Trump wouldn't be handing Florida so much money. It's the same old swamp as before. Trump favoring Rick Scott and giving him federal funding as a political payback. $1.5 billion of federal funds going to Florida
How can anyone think that's better than paying for me to hit up a doctor one time and get some antibiotics? It makes no sense whatsoever. And it means that people like me, desperately trying to survive to 65, also get to suffer waiting for minor illnesses to become ER-worthy. Who can possibly think that's morally or fiscally right?
I too live in Florida. Before I got my insurance through the ACA I came down with a severe cough and difficulty breathing. I went into one of those freestanding walk-in health clinics and had no problem receiving treatment. It was $50 at the door. They wanted to do a chest x-ray, which they performed at the facility, which was another $75. I walked out the door with a diagnosis of bronchitis and a prescription for an antibiotic which I filled at Publix free of charge.
You had no real excuse not to get treatment for your earache. I don't know where in Florida you live, but there are clinics like these all over the place here in Ocala. They even take credit cards.
So much for fiscal conservatism. It will cost the Tax payers of FL. even more.
It's costing the US taxpayers to the tune of $1.5 billion/year. Trump just handed FEDERAL money over to Florida. Trump rewarded Florida's governor for supporting him with taxpayer money from all states. Even though Florida's governor chose the more expensive idea that means people go to the emergency room for ultra-high health care costs(without paying the ER bill), and Trump handed over $1.5 billion of federal money to pay that bill.
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