Gov. Scott agrees to expand Fla. Medicaid program

[Tony_FLADEM]

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) --

Gov. Rick Scott has announced that he will expand Medicaid to an estimated 900,000 additional Florida residents under President Barack Obama's health care overhaul.

The decision is a surprise since Scott has been a vocal critic of the Affordable Care Act.

The Republican governor said Wednesday that he will support a bill that would expire in three years. Scott entered politics in 2009 running national cable TV commercials criticizing the president's plan.

The federal government will pay for the Medicaid expansion for the first three years and pay 90 percent after that.

Scott joins six other Republican governors who are also expanding Medicaid.

The decision came hours after federal officials announced they will approve Florida's request to privatize its existing Medicaid program if the state agrees to measure the quality of patient care.

http://www.baynews9.com/content/news/baynews9/news/article.html/content/news/articles/bn9/2013/2/20/gov_scott_agrees_to_.html

That's a surprise!

[lpbk2713]

1. Scott probably smells money.

He scammed Medicaid before and got away with it, probably thinks he can do it again.

[hay rick]

9. He scammed Medicare before.

Scamming Medicaid would complete his resume.

[Blue Idaho]

2. Looks Like Scott has seen his latest polls.

At the rate he's going he may not win an election for dog catcher in Duck Keys.

[ProSense]

3. WTF?

"The decision came hours after federal officials announced they will approve Florida's request to privatize its existing Medicaid program if the state agrees to measure the quality of patient care. "

Where is this information coming from? Seems like the news outlets are trying to help this asshole save face.

See the updates here, including his actual statement:

Rick Scott Reverses Course, Becomes 7th GOP Governor To Accept Obamacare’s Medicaid Expansion
http://thinkprogress.org/health/2013/02/20/1617971/rick-scott-medicaid-expansion/

[SummerSnow]

4. Proof that crack is powerful..lol.He is smoking it.Dont trust him

[HockeyMom]

5. Wants to stay in the Governor's Mansion

DESPERATELY needs all the votes he can get/

[hay rick]

6. Managed Care.

Article here: http://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/news/state-regional-govt-politics/feds-ok-floridas-proposed-privatizing-of-medicaid/nWTSB/

From the article:

The federal approval, which would let the state move almost all 3.4 million low-income and elderly Floridians now served by Medicaid into managed care, does have several yet unmet conditions, including that the state must hire an independent entity to monitor the process and have a robust plan to measure the quality of patient care in the managed care program, according to The Associated Press.

The conditions are meant to resolve problems in a pilot program that has been running in Broward County, Duval County and three of its neighbors since 2006.

Federal health officials insisted the state agree to tangible quality measurements using real-time data that evaluate whether the program is actually improving patient care along the way as promised, not just at yearly benchmarks, according to The Associated Press. The state must also hold regular meeting with health advocates, patients and insurers and hire an ombudsmen to oversee the program that involves tens of thousands of elderly, long-term care patients, according to a letter sent by federal health officials to the state.

I am deeply skeptical. I see this as a plan to create private profits by denying health care to Florida's poorest and most vulnerable citizens. Florida is ready to double down on the "free market" health care model that currently provides Americans with the repulsive combination of the world's most expensive health care system and outcomes (lower life expectancy and higher infant mortality, for example) inferior to those of most modern industrialized democracies.

[DirkGently]

7. More than skeptical. Scott is famous for, what again?

Was it running a private care company that fleeced taxpayers out of federal money meant for patients and was hit with the largest fine for Medicare fraud in history?

I think that was it, anyway. Yes. Yes, it was.

And now he wants to run Medicaid through private care that he oversees?

In what way is this not like hiring a leech to guard the blood supply?

[pampango]

8. Well, well, well. The GOP state dominoes continue to fall. n/t