Republican lawmakers signaled they would not support support Medicaid expansion for 800,000 residents despite the lower cost provided under the recently signed $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief package.
Democrats in the state have continued pushing Medicaid expansion for hundreds of thousands of residents, arguing the new cost of expansion would not compromise GOP values of fiscal restraint, the Orlando Sentinel reported. However, Republicans control the Legislature and the governor’s mansion.
If the Sunshine State opted for expansion, the federal government would cover 90% of the cost, with Florida paying the remaining 10%, according to the Florida Health Justice Project. Typical costs of Medicaid programs would have the federal government pay up to 62% of the cost, while the state covers around 38%.
DEMOCRATS’ $1.9 TRILLION SPENDING BILL PRESSURES STATES TO EXPAND MEDICAID
Democratic state Sen. Annette Taddeo said it would be “crazy” for Gov. Ron DeSantis to turn away money for Medicaid given the lowered cost. He said there is a heightened need for residents to have insurance at this time, citing the COVID-19 pandemic.
A liberal think tank based in Orlando, the Florida Policy Institute, estimated expanding Medicaid at this time would save the state $3.5 billion.
Still, Republicans maintained concerns on what the 10% cost could mean for Florida’s future.
“The president has concerns about the long-term, recurring costs associated with Medicaid expansion,” Katie Betta, spokeswoman for the Republican Senate President Wilton Simpson, said in an email to the Orlando Sentinel.
A spokeswoman for DeSantis’s office also told the Washington Post this week he “remains opposed to the expansion of Medicaid in Florida.”
According to a Social Services Estimating Conference on Dec. 8, economists forecasted 4.59 million people in Florida will be enrolled in Medicaid during fiscal 2022, nearly 700,000 more than fiscal 2020’s enrollment of 3.9 million people.
Economists with SSEC projected the swelling Medicaid enrollment could increase the state’s costs by 19% and potentially present lawmakers with a $1.25 billion shortfall.
Those in favor of Medicaid expansion will likely try to place a yes-or-no measure on the 2022 ballot regarding Medicaid expansion after an earlier attempt failed to garner enough signatures for the 2020 election.
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The Washington Examiner reached out to the governor’s office but did not immediately receive a response.
