Florida House Sends KidCare Expansion Legislation to Gov. Crist

The Florida House last week sent legislation (SB 918) to Gov. Charlie Crist (R) that would shorten the amount of time families have to wait after losing private health coverage before they can apply for the state's KidCare program, the AP/Miami Herald reports. KidCare subsidizes the cost of health insurance for families with incomes of up to 200% of the federal poverty level. The state Senate also approved the bill last week. The measure also would allow families who were dropped from KidCare for failure to pay to re-enter the system more quickly. According to the AP/Herald, the bill's progress was halted earlier in the session because House Republicans objected to the potential cost of the bill. According to state Rep. Bill Galvano (R), new cost estimates lessened those concerns (AP/Miami Herald, 4/30).