We explore the new idea on the table to expand Medicaid in Florida. Last year, Florida lawmakers turned down $51 billion in federal funding over ten years to expand Medicaid through the Affordable Care Act. That proposal’s been reintroduced in the current state legislative session and is also failing to gain traction. Medicaid expansion would cover an estimated 1.2 million Floridians who currently earn too much to qualify for health coverage through Medicaid, but who earn too little to qualify for subsidies though the ACA.
Lawmakers have expressed concerns that the federal funding promised for the expansion might not come through, leaving a heavy financial burden on state tax dollars. Last week, U.S. Senator Bill Nelson unveiled an alternative Medicaid expansion funding plan that would use local dollars to fund the expansion through public hospitals in the state. We’ll talk about how the plan is designed and the hurdles it would have to overcome to be enacted.
