Florida Gov. Rick Scott’s concerns about the health law’s Medicaid expansion during a meeting Monday with HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius is continuing to draw criticism that he is exaggerating the potential cost.
The Associated Press: Fla. Gov. Under Fire For Health Care Cost Estimate
Gov. Rick Scott is again facing criticism that he is overstating the potential cost to Florida taxpayers of the federal health care overhaul. … The Republican governor told Sebelius that state taxpayers will have to pay near $26 billion over the next 10 years to implement the overhaul. That figure – drawn up last month by the state’s main health care agency – is three times higher than one drawn up by state economists back in August (Fineout, 1/8).
Health News Florida: Scott To Look At Other Medicaid Cost Estimates
Gov. Rick Scott is willing to look at estimates on the cost of Medicaid expansion other than the ones he has been using, according to a release Tuesday evening. The statement from Scott’s Communications Director Melissa Sellers came in apparent reaction to Health News Florida’s report early Tuesday headlined “Legislative Analysts told Scott His Medicaid Estimates Are Wrong (But He’s Using Them Anyway)” (Gentry, 1/9).
MORE: Medicaid Cost Estimates Trigger Florida Flap – Kaiser Health News.