Florida Gov. Rick Scott announced Thursday he will drop a lawsuit that accused the Obama administration of employing mafia-like tactics in a bid to force him to expand Medicaid under Obamacare.
Mr. Scott, a Republican, cited the Health and Human Services Department’s decision to partially fund his request for the low-income pool, a separate program that reimburses hospitals and providers for caring for the uninsured, including illegal immigrants.
“Because of this great victory, we have decided to dismiss our lawsuit against the Obama Administration for attempting to coerce Florida into expanding Obamacare,” Mr. Scott said. “It is unfortunate it took a lawsuit to make the right thing happen.”
The governor held out for the funds as his state struggled to pass its budget, saying HHS was strong-arming him into considering the Medicaid expansion instead.
Administration officials said Mr. Scott knew the low-income pool was a pilot program that could go away.
They said the Medicaid expansion would be a more efficient way to link poorer residents to care, although they insisted the low-income funding was not tied to state-level decisions on whether to extend Medicaid to those making up to 138 percent of the federal poverty level.
The Supreme Court, which upheld Obamacare’s subsidies Thursday on the federal exchange, said in 2012 that states could choose not to expand Medicaid without forfeiting existing federal funds.
• Tom Howell Jr. can be reached at thowell@washingtontimes.com.
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