The Florida State Legislature adjourned their legislative session Friday without considering Gov. Rick Scott’s proposal to expand Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act.
On Monday, Sen. Bill Nelson, D-FL., urged Scott to call a special legislative session so approximately 1 million residents of the state could possibly gain insurance under Obamacare, reports the Washington Times.
The Republican governor was a major critic of Obamacare until he did an about-face in February, when he asked the legislature to expand the federal-state entitlement program to anyone making up to 138 percent of the federal poverty level.
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“Now the legislature has done exactly what you said you wouldn’t; it had denied these Floridians access to coverage,” Nelson said.
“And now, only you have the chance to remedy the lawmakers’ failure to expand Medicaid to these needy Floridians.”
Nelson said the legislature made a “callous decision” not to expand the program that serves the poor.
He believes hundreds of thousands of residents will still go to emergency rooms for their health care and leave taxpayers with the high-priced bill.
Nelson said one in five Floridians have no Medicare coverage in particular and do not enjoy any type of health coverage overall.
Therefore, he said, “the consequences of the state Legislature’s recent decision not to expand Medicaid loom large.”
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