In a column in the Tampa Bay Times, John Romano writes that more than a year ago, lawmakers claimed they were going to look for a solution to help low-income Floridians get health coverage after the House turned down a Senate bill to accept $51 billion in federal funds -- money made available through an alternative to Medicaid expansion under the Affordable Care Act.
But this year, House Speaker Will Weatherford didn’t even pretend to come up with anything at all to extend coverage to about 800,000 Floridians caught in the "gap." They have incomes above the stingy Florida Medicaid level but below 100 percent of the federal poverty level, which would make them eligible for subsidized coverage through the ACA.