As an emergency-room doctor who sees uninsured patients every day, state Rep. Cary Pigman might be expected to favor accepting federal funds to get them health insurance, Kaiser Health News reports. But he says he doesn't believe in taking federal funds, given the deficit.
House Democrats pointed out that Florida takes federal funding for other things, but Republicans stood firm in their opposition to taking federal funds for expansion of Medicaid through the Affordable Care Act.
House Republicans are poised to reject more than $50 billion that could cover an estimated 1.1 million of the state's uninsured who have incomes below or just above the federal poverty level.
The House voted today to go with the Florida Health Choices Plus plan, which would provide coverage for about 115,700 uninsured Floridians.
As Phil Galewitz reports, Florida accounts for 1 in 12 of the nation's uninsured. If Florida rejects federal help, it would make a difference in the ultimate success of the health law that opponents call "ObamaCare."
