House Speaker Will Weatherford has become the blocker-in-chief of Medicaid expansion in Florida, appearing before cheering crowds of Koch Brothers acolytes. But others in the Florida Legislature also are reluctant to take the $51 billion available for Florida to give health coverage to the poor, as columnist Gary Stein writes in ContextFlorida.com.
They are Rep. Richard Corcoran, R-Lutz, and Sen. Aaron Bean, R-Jacksonville. They matter because they head the committees that would bring up the matter for consideration in this session -- and they haven't.
Both prefer an alternative that would not only turn away the federal funds -- thus sending Floridians' tax money to other states -- but would also cost more in state revenue. Their preferred exchange, Florida Health Choices, offers small plans so limited they cannot legally be called insurance.
