Republican Gov. Rick Scott and Democratic challenger Charlie Crist both want to expand Medicaid in Florida, but they seem to be miles apart on how to make it happen.
The Miami Herald reports that Mr. Crist, a Republican-turned Democrat who wants his old job back, is lobbying hard for the move — a key pillar of Obamacare — while the governor supports expansion but isn’t about to cheerlead for it.
Mr. Crist openly touts the expansion, which would cover nearly 800,000 Floridians who earn up to 138 percent of the federal poverty level. He even suggested he would use an executive order to make it happen.
Mr. Scott, who supported expansion but was rebuffed by fellow Republicans in the legislature last year, said that’s going too far, according to the Herald.
“That is what President Obama does — refuses to work with legislators and just goes his own way and issues decrees,” he said.
Mr. Scott’s support for Medicaid expansion made headlines last year, because he was considered one of the staunchest opponents of Obamacare.
The Herald reports that Mr. Scott supports expansion but only if it does not become a burden for Florida taxpayers.
That is a key concern among Republicans opposed to Obamacare, since the federal government will only pay the full tab for expansion in 2014-2016 before scaling down its contribution to 90 percent by 2020.
• Tom Howell Jr. can be reached at thowell@washingtontimes.com.
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