Florida Gov. Crist Approves FY 2009 State Budget That Includes Health Care Cuts

Florida Gov. Charlie Crist (R) on Wednesday signed into a law a "bare-bones" $66 billion state budget for fiscal year 2009 that includes funding cuts for state hospitals, nursing homes and other social programs, the South Florida Sun-Sentinel reports. The budget is $6 billion less than the current budget (Kennedy, South Florida Sun-Sentinel, 6/12). Crist said the budget includes adequate funding to enroll 38,000 additional children into KidCare, the state's version of SCHIP. However, state House Minority Leader Dan Gelber (D) said the budget would cut funding to "the state's health care system that will harm our most sick and most vulnerable," and other state and educational organizations (Cotterell, Tallahassee Democrat, 6/12).