Saturday, May 30, 2015
The Florida Legislature opens a special session Monday to write a state budget and resolve a health care crisis. The Senate offers a responsible bipartisan plan for Florida to become the 30th state to accept federal Medicaid expansion money. House Republicans oppose taking the money. Floridians should tell them to listen to the powerful moral and financial arguments for taking the money and providing access to affordable health care.
1.
More than 800,000 uninsured Floridians could receive health coverage in 2016 under the Senate’s plan to help pay for private coverage with federal Medicaid expansion money.
2.
Nearly 180,000 uninsured Tampa Bay residents could receive health coverage through the Medicaid expansion plans.
3.
Within five years, more than 1 million uninsured Floridians who don’t earn enough income to qualify for subsidies to help pay for coverage through the federal marketplace could receive health coverage.
4.
Individuals earning about $16,000 a year and families of four earning about $33,000 a year could be covered through Medicaid expansion.
5.
2016 is the last year that the federal government would cover 100 percent of the cost of Medicaid expansion. The federal share would gradually drop in future years to 90 percent of the cost.
6.
If the federal government fails to provide its promised share of the cost of Medicaid expansion, the Florida expansion would end.
7.
For 2016, the federal government would send more than $2.8 billion to Florida to cover the cost of Medicaid expansion.
8.
More than half of those who could get health coverage through Medicaid expansion have jobs in areas ranging from sales to food service to construction.
9.
The state would save more than $1 billion over five years as some existing health care programs would be phased out and replaced.
10.
The bipartisan Senate plan to accept federal Medicaid expansion money is not a plan imposed by the Obama administration. It is a Florida plan designed by Florida legislators.
11.
The bipartisan Senate plan is not a plan to add more people to Medicaid. It would offer a choice of private plans or subsidize private coverage available on the federal marketplace.
12.
Individuals who get health coverage through the Medicaid expansion plan would be invested. They would pay small monthly premiums ranging from $3 to $25, depending on income.
13.
Individuals who get coverage would have to meet requirements for pursuing an education, seeking work or working.
14.
Insured Floridians and businesses paid nearly $3 billion in hospital costs for those who could not afford to pay for care in 2012.
15.
Private health insurance premiums are an average 8 percent higher than necessary to shift some of the cost of treating those who can’t afford to pay to those who are paying. More Floridians with health coverage should mean less charity care and lower rate increases for everyone else.
16.
It makes more financial sense to use public money to provide private coverage to Floridians who can seek preventive care than to spend public money to cover charity care in expensive emergency rooms.
17.
The Obama administration indicates the $2.2 billion Low Income Pool of federal, state and local money that helps cover the cost of uncompensated care for hospitals should be reduced to $1 billion in 2016 and to $600 million in future years.
18.
The Senate says that means Florida stands to lose $705 million in federal money in 2016 and substantially more the following year.
19.
Hospitals such as Tampa General, Morton Plant Hospital in Clearwater and All Children’s Hospital in St. Petersburg cannot afford to eat those losses of federal dollars.
20.
The Obama administration says the state could more than replace the lost Low Income Pool money with federal dollars to pay for private coverage through Medicaid expansion.
21.
If Florida rejects federal Medicaid expansion money and replaces most of the money with state tax dollars as House Republicans suggest, that would eat most of the state’s budget surplus for 2015-16. The hole would be even deeper the following year.
22.
Replacing federal health care dollars with state tax dollars would mean less state money available for public schools, universities, the environment and other key issues.
23.
That flawed strategy also would leave more than 800,000 Floridians without health insurance who could have coverage through Medicaid expansion.
24.
Accepting federal Medicaid expansion money to subsidize private insurance coverage has bipartisan support from Chambers of Commerce, Associated Industries of Florida, AARP, the Florida League of Women Voters, the Florida Hospital Association and a broad coalition of business and medical interests. Public opinion polls show most voters support it.
25.
So far 29 states, including 10 with Republican governors, have agreed to accept federal Medicaid expansion money. Why not Florida?