Concern over Rising Costs of ObamaCare by Florida Leaders

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

January 7, 2013

Contact: Jordan Dyer

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Florida Leaders Express Concern Over Continuously Rising Costs of ObamaCare

TALLAHASSEE - - - - - Florida elected officials continue to express alarm over the rising cost estimates associated with ObamaCare.  

After Governor Rick Scott's meeting this morning with Obama Administration officials, Florida Representatives Tom Rooney and Richard Nugent each issued statements expressing deep concerns over the rising cost estimates associated with ObamaCare.  Governor Rick Scott also issued a statement of his impressions after the meeting.

Excerpt from statement issued by Rep. Tom Rooney after Gov. Scott's meeting with Secretary Sebelius:

"I applaud Governor Scott for taking a pro-active approach toward making quality health care more affordable for all Floridians. For Florida, Obamacare means more federal and state government spending, higher taxes, increased premiums and lower quality of care - we can't afford that.

"Recent estimates have shown that the Medicaid mandates alone in Obamacare would cost Florida's taxpayers an additional $63.4 billion over 10 years. I know that Secretary Sebelius, as a former governor herself, understands that when the federal government passes costly mandates onto states, they can't just rack up debt like Washington has done - they have to either raise taxes or cut vital programs to balance their budgets."


Excerpt of Letter from Rep. Richard Nugent to HHS Secretary Sebelius: 

"The fact of the matter is that if Governor Scott agrees to the Medicaid expansion, he will be committing the State of Florida to writing a blank check. We don't know whether it will be $8 billion, $26 billion, or some other untold amount. And the American people at large will be expected to pay to pick up the federal government's portion of the yet-to-be-determined tab.  Given our nation's out-of-control debt and deficit crisis, this sort of unknown spending commitment should worry all American taxpayers."   

Full Statement from Governor Rick Scott:

"We had a great conversation with Sec. Sebelius today about how we can improve cost, quality and access in healthcare for Florida families. We need to know more about how the healthcare choices facing our state would affect families - many who are still struggling to get a job and make ends meet.

"I believe that Medicaid is an important healthcare safety net. Florida's Medicaid program today provides health care to over 3.3 million Floridians and is approximately 30 percent of our state budget. The cost of Medicaid has been growing at three-and-one-half times the growth rate of the state's general revenue, which crowds out our ability to invest in K-12 education, higher education and other priorities.

"Growing government is never free. Under the new healthcare law, Florida would nearly double the people in our Medicaid program over 10 years. AHCA estimates that this would result in a total cost to taxpayers of more than $63 billion over 10 years, including $26 billion in costs to Florida taxpayers. We also know that adding people to Medicaid will affect our state for generations to come because government growth is almost never reversed. The current fiscal cliff debate here in Washington is proof of that.

"I also asked Sec. Sebelius to approve our state's Statewide Medicaid Managed Care and long term care proposals, which are currently awaiting HHS approval. We also discussed ideas for lowering health care costs, including tax incentives for individuals to buy insurance, price incentives for healthy behaviors, and flexibility to buy personalized coverage. Our ultimate goal is to lower the cost of healthcare in Florida so all families can access the level of care they desire."

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