Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Florida GOP Fights Obama Administration For Hospital Funds Linked To Medicaid Expansion
Tampa Bay Times: Florida Republicans Urge Obama To Reconsider LIP
A group of Florida Republicans wrote a letter to President Obama urging him to reverse a decision to end the Low Income Pool program in Florida, arguing it "has been working to help low-income families in our state." The request won't go anywhere, but represents the call to arms that Gov. Rick Scott sent up during a trip to Washington last week. (Leary, 5/20)
Washington Times: Marco Rubio, GOP House Members Back Fla. Governor In Medicaid Standoff With Obama Admin
Presidential candidate Marco Rubio and other Florida Republicans urged President Obama on Wednesday to renew federal funding for health program at the center of a festering dispute between Gov. Rick Scott and the administration, which wants the state to expand Medicaid under Obamacare instead. Their letter to the president comes days after Mr. Scott, a Republican, personally asked congressional Republicans to wade into the fight. (Howell, 5/20)
New Hampshire Union Leader: Report: Emergency Room Visits By Uninsured Down 22%
Emergency room visits by uninsured patients fell 22 percent in the first three months of 2015 compared to same time period in 2014, a drop that New Hampshire hospitals attribute to Medicaid expansion. In a report released Wednesday, the New Hampshire Hospital Association also said inpatient admissions of the uninsured fell by 27 percent. (Hayward, 5/20)
Also in the news, GOP presidential hopeful Jeb Bush's health care record -- particularly on Medicaid -- is scrutinized.
Politico: Jeb Bush’s Medicaid Fix: More Choices, Fewer Benefits?
In education and immigration, Jeb Bush is an outlier in the Republican presidential field — a moderate who raises concerns about the ideological direction of the party. But on another flash-point issue, health care, Bush is a proven conservative, having put into action ideas that some GOP rivals can only talk about. Bush cites his 2005 effort to overhaul Florida’s broken and expensive Medicaid program as a model for using market-driven reforms to cut the growth of health spending and rein in a big government program. It’s not a full-fledged GOP alternative to Obamacare, but it’s a starting point. (Haberkorn, 5/221)
