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Elected Democrats, along with health and left-leaning policy advocates, want to bypass Gov. Ron DeSantis and state Republicans, who are unwilling to accept federal money to expand the Medicaid program to provide health coverage for low-income, uninsured Floridians.
U.S. Rep. Ted Deutch said Tuesday that Florida’s failure to expand Medicaid “has led to illness and death because Floridians cannot access health care.”
Without adequate health coverage, many people can’t access preventative care and delay getting care as soon as problems develop — which can often lead to more serious issues and higher costs, said Dr. William Jaquis, immediate past president of the American College of Emergency Physicians.
The result can be higher infant mortality or worse outcomes for people who’ve had strokes or have diabetes or high blood pressure. Ultimately, said Jaquis, an emergency physician in Aventura, it can lead to “death by ZIP code. If you don’t have care and you don’t have coverage, which is our unserved communities, there is a massive disparity in terms of health outcomes.”
In the past 17 months of COVID-19, “all of that has become more pronounced,” Jaquis said.
The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated health differences, and illustrated the need to act, Deutch and Jaquis said.
Dr. William P. Jaquis, pictured in 2018, is the immediate past president of the American College of Emergency Physicians. Without adequate health coverage, many people can’t access preventative care and delay getting care as soon as problems develop — which can often lead to more serious issues and higher costs. The result can be “death by ZIP code. If you don’t have care and you don’t have coverage, which is our unserved communities, there is a massive disparity in terms of health outcomes.” (Amy Davis, Baltimore Sun)
Deutch’s solution: Use the federal budget, controlled by congressional Democrats, to create a new Medicaid-like program in Florida and 11 other states that haven’t done their own expansions authorized under the Affordable Care Act. “What we’re talking about … is essentially going around the governor and the Republican leaders and short-circuiting their resistance by creating a program,” Deutch said.
He and state Sen. Tina Polsky, both Broward-Palm Beach county Democrats, said Tuesday such a move would improve health care for many Floridians — and boost the state’s economy. Estimates of people who would benefit range from an additional 800,000 to 1 million.
Democrats and liberal health and public policy advocates have been pushing Florida for years to expand Medicaid. Florida Republicans have steadfastly opposed using money provided by the Affordable Care Act, known as Obamacare, which would pay for the lion’s share of expanded benefits.
Alison Yager, executive director of Florida Health Justice Project, said in the 38 states that have expanded Medicaid under the ACA, it has been beneficial to state budgets and their economies.
“Not only is it saving the state money on current state expenditures, but it’s also generating wealth,” she said. “There is not a single state that has expanded Medicaid and reversed course, and it’s not costing the states extra money.”
Polsky said Republicans are so ideologically opposed to the idea that they won’t hold legislative hearings in Tallahassee on the issue. She said she is “not optimistic” that anything will change during the next legislative session, which comes at the beginning of 2022, an election year.
DeSantis and Republican legislative leaders are “refusing to take care of our own citizens,” Deutch said. “It’s time that we do everything we can to provide coverage and not allow the Republican leaders who unfortunately continue to put politics ahead of the well-being of Florida.”
Under the Affordable Care Act, the federal government pays 90% of expansion costs and the state the rest. The usual cost share of the current Medicaid program varies by year but can reach as high as 60% paid by the federal government and 40% paid by Florida.
The Affordable Care Act required states to expand Medicaid, but the U.S. Supreme Court invalidated that requirement.
The $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief package signed by President Joe Biden earlier this year added money to give states an incentive to expand Medicaid.
In March, representatives for Florida Senate President Wilton Simpson, House Speaker Chris Sprowls and DeSantis said the leaders were opposed to Medicaid expansion, citing concerns about long-term recurring costs and the prospect of adding “able-bodied adults” to the program.
Republicans have frequently said they didn’t trust that the federal government wouldn’t get the state hooked on Medicaid expansion, but reduce funding in the future.
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Spokeswoman Katie Betta said Florida Senate President Wilton Simpson’s office was aware of Deutch’s statements but didn’t have any comment on Tuesday.
The governor’s office didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment. Nor did Republican state Reps. Mike Caruso of Palm Beach County or Chip LaMarca from Broward.
Deutch is one of a few dozen members of the House who asked their leaders include a federal program in the 12 states when Congress acts on the budget later this summer. In the U.S. Senate, some Democrats are also pushing a coverage expansion.
Information from Orlando Sentinel archives was used in this report.
