Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Fla. Governor Hints At Veto If Lawmakers Pass Senate Compromise To Expand Medicaid
Tampa Bay Times: Scott All But Threatens Veto Of Senate FHIX Health Care Plan
Gov. Rick Scott all but threatened a veto Thursday of a Senate plan aimed at expanding health insurance coverage to more than 800,000 uninsured Floridians by drawing down federal money into a privately run insurance exchange. “I’m not doing it,’’ Scott told the Herald/Times after a meeting of the Enterprise Florida board of directors in Tampa. He repeated his claim at the Senate’s Florida Health Insurance Affordability Exchange (FHIX) program is a tax increase but, when asked, he refused to explain how he reaches that conclusion. (Klas & Contoro, 5/28)
The Miami Herald: Scott's LIP Plan Would Cut $214M From Hospitals, Most In South Florida
Gov. Rick Scott released details of his latest proposal to draw down $2.3 billion in federal Low Income Pool funds on Thursday. While the formula is higher than previously announced, it does not use any state dollars to backfill the loss but it cuts reimbursements to hospitals by $214 million. (5/28)
The Miami Herald: Miami Groups Petition For Medicaid Expansion At Office Of Florida Rep. Jose Oliva
The Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare, includes a provision to expand Medicaid. Florida is among the 18 states that have not chosen to expand it, and a bitter dispute between Republicans in the House and Senate over the issue forced an early end to the regular session. The groups delivered the signatures, collected over several months from around the state, to Oliva’s second-floor office at a shopping center, urging him to listen to his constituents. (Herrera, 5/28)
Tampa Bay Times: Tampa Chamber Urges Legislature To Expand Health Care Coverage
As the Legislature heads into next week's special session on the budget, the Greater Tampa Chamber of Commerce on Thursday restaked its position in support of expanding Medicaid. (Danielson, 5/28)
Here's the latest in Medicaid expansion news from Texas and Utah -
NPR: Texas Loses Billions To Treat The Poor By Not Expanding Medicaid, Advocates Say
When the Supreme Court ruled that the federal government could not compel states to expand Medicaid programs, many Southern and Midwestern states opted out. One quarter of the uninsured live in Texas. (Goodwyn, 5/29)
KSL: Utah Medicaid Expansion Negotiations Ongoing
Utah lawmakers continue to work on a plan to cover the state's uninsured but don't anticipate striking any kind of deal before August. Upon failing for a second year to come up with a feasible alternative to the full Medicaid expansion outlined in the Affordable Care Act of 2010, a team of four lawmakers, Utah Gov. Gary Herbert and Lt. Gov. Spencer Cox set out in March to negotiate a deal. "We are working well together," Utah House Speaker Greg Hughes, R-Draper, told a gathering at the Utah Taxes Now Conference in Salt Lake City on Thursday. (Leonard, 5/28)
In related news about Medicaid and other public assistance programs -
The Associated Press: Census: No. Of Americans On Assistance May Be Leveling Off
The once-increasing number of Americans getting some kind of public assistance from the U.S. government may be slowing down, according to new information from the U.S. Census Bureau. ... The programs tracked were Medicaid, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), housing assistance, Supplemental Security Income (SSI), Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) and general assistance. Medicaid was the most used program in 2012, with an average monthly participation rate of 15.3 percent, followed by SNAP at 13.4 percent, housing assistance at 4.2 percent, SSI at 3 percent and TANF and general assistance at 1 percent. (Holland, 5/28)
And on the topic of health exchanges -
Connecticut Mirror: Access Health Increases Fee On Insurers
The board of Connecticut’s health insurance exchange approved a 22 percent hike in the fee it charges insurers to help fund its operations, a cost that’s likely to be passed on to insurance customers. (Levin Becker, 5/28)
