In a column published in The Tampa Tribune, U.S. Senator Bill Nelson said "extremists" in the Florida Legislature have engaged in a deliberate attempt to undermine implementation of the new health law, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.
Nelson, D-FL, listed several instances by the Legislature and the executive branch in Florida of failure to accept funds that would help to cover the uninsured and to regulate insurers.
These actions had political or ideological motives, he said, but failed to take into consideration what is best for the people of Florida.
He noted that Florida's current Insurance Commissioner has opted not to assess rate request filings, abdicating the responsibility to the federal government. Nelson is a former Insurance Commissioner for the state of Florida.