Tampa Bay Times columnist John Romano tells how Indiana Gov. Mike Pence, a long-time opponent of the Affordable Care Act, nevertheless has asked the federal government for ACA funds to cover his state's uninsured citizens.
In so doing, Pence joined nearly a dozen other Republican governors who have put partisanship aside for the benefit of their state's poorest citizens, Romano writes. In some cases, they had a fierce fight on their hands convincing members of their own party to go along.
Florida Gov. Rick Scott has not even tried, Romano says. He paid lip service to the need for Medicaid expansion 15 months ago, but has been silent ever since, letting House Speaker Will Weatherford kill it last year and ignore it this year.
Scott's failure of leadership has forfeited both lives and money, Romano says. For someone who calls himself a can-do guy, Romano says, Scott has shown he either can't or won't.