Florida children's hospitals and some of their patients Tuesday called on lawmakers to extend Medicaid coverage under the Affordable Care Act. Doctors and hospital executives spoke at the Capitol alongside a teen with muscular dystrophy and the mother of a toddler with a heart defect.
Dana Bledsoe, president of Sacred Heart Children’s and Women's Hospital in Pensacola, said without Medicaid, working families are forced to make impossible choices.
"…decisions between critical health services and putting food on the table. Clearly, Florida's children need a remedy", said Bledsoe.
The group praised Governor Rick Scott for backing Medicaid expansion and the Senate for crafting an alternative that would also extend health insurance. The issue has high stakes for hospitals, which pick up the tab when uninsured people come to emergency rooms for treatment.