Governor Scott to Implement Affordable Care Act in Florida
Tallahassee, FL - He fought it tooth and nail, but now it looks like Governor Rick Scott will have to begin working with the federal government to implement Obamacare. Scott signaled Tuesday he’s willing to make some concessions, but, those concessions are too late to meet a fast approaching federal deadline.
For many, Mitt Romney’s presidential defeat was about more than the White House. It was a last ditch effort to beat the Affordable Care Act.
In 2010, Republicans failed to win enough Senate seats to pass a repeal bill. Earlier this year a Supreme Court challenge of the new health care law fell flat.
One of Governor Rick Scott’s top priorities was to repeal Obamacare, but with no options left, he’s now changing his tune.
Scott told reporters Tuesday, he’s now willing to negotiate with the federal government, about how best to implement the changes. His staff even went as far as promoting Scott’s role reversal, emailing this article to reporters.
But Scott’s change of tune comes as a crucial deadline approaches. The state has until Friday to come up with a plan for its health care exchange.
Incoming House Speaker Will Weatherford says Florida won’t meet the deadline.
“I don’t think the state is going to be in a position to have a definitive answer of what our plan is by next Friday,” said Weatherford.
Missing the deadline means the feds will launch an exchange for Florida. The next choice that has to be made is whether or not to expand Florida’s Medicaid roles. Social service advocates say that discussion needs to begin soon.
“We’ve got a million very low income people who would benefit from that,” said advocate Karen Woodall
Before the court challenge, states that didn’t expand Medicaid could be penalized. The penalty was thrown out, so now Florida has options about how to proceed. And that deadline is 2014. The feds are offering to pay Florida 27 billion dollars over the next 10 years to extend Medicaid to a million more families. Scott’s worried about what happens after the money stops in 2024. Social service advocates say if Florida doesn’t expand its rolls the money will go to another state.
Helpful Links
Learn more about the United States Congress at
www.house.gov and www.senate.gov
Not sure which precinct to vote at?
Visit the Georgia Precinct Locator
Want to know what you need to do to register to vote in Georgia? Visit www.sos.state.ga.us/elections
Also visit the State of Georgia website
Find out more about elections in Georgia at the
Georgia Elections website
Know when to head to the Georgia polls by browsing
Georgia Voter Information
Know when to head to the Florida polls by visiting the
Florida Voter Information Page
Find out more about Florida Voting Systems
Want to talk to your elected officials? Visit Florida’s Contact Your Elected Officials Page
Get your Florida voter registration application at
election.dos.state.fl.us
Learn more about how Florida does elections at the Florida Division of Elections Web Site
Visit the State of Florida Web Site
CBS Political Headlines
-
Inside the IRS office that targeted conservative groups
Employee who worked in IRS Cincinnati office for 24 years says she doesn't recall any discussion of politics -
Video: McCain jokes to reporters: We'll "subpoena" you if you don't mute your phones
In a strange reference presumably to news that the Department of Justice secretly subpoenaed two months' worth of phone records from the Associated Press, Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., joked with reporters that "we're going to subpoena all of you if you don't go to mute on your phones." -
Video: Former employee of Cincinnati IRS office speaks out
Dean Reynolds speaks to Bonnie Esrig, a retired employee of the IRS office that's accused of political targeting. She says that in her 24 years in the office under two Democratic and two Republican presidents, she never heard anyone say, "The president wants this done." -
Video: Carney: U.S. to refer "more frequently" to Burma as "Myanmar"
As a "diplomatic courtesy," the United States "has begun to allow limited use of the name Myanmar" to describe the former pariah state of Burma as it inches closer toward democracy, White House spokesman Jay Carney told reporters Monday - but official U.S. policy, he added, "remains that Burma is the name of the country." -
Video: Obama hosts Burmese president at the White House
In a photo op Monday afternoon with Burma's president, Thein Sein, President Obama repeatedly referred to the nation as Myanmar - new acknowledgement of a "diplomatic courtesy" allowing "limited use of the name" to describe the former pariah state, though official U.S. policy "remains that Burma is the name of the country." -
Burma or Myanmar? WH grappling with name game
President says "Myanmar" in meeting with the former pariah state's president, but official policy remains "Burma" -
Top Obama officials knew about IRS probe, says WH
Chief of Staff Denis McDonough and others learned of looming IRS report last month, but didn't tell the president -
Video: Senior WH aides knew about IRS probe, Carney says
White House spokesman Jay Carney said Denis McDonough, President Obama's chief of staff, was among a handful of senior aides informed of the Treasury inspector general's findings that the IRS was targeting conservative groups for heightened scrutiny in their tax-exempt application process - but insisted he did not intervene in the "ongoing" investigation, or tell the president.
