- The Washington Times - Wednesday, May 20, 2015

Presidential candidate Marco Rubio and other Florida Republicans urged President Obama on Wednesday to renew federal funding for health program at the center of a festering dispute between Gov. Rick Scott and the administration, which wants the state to expand Medicaid under Obamacare instead.

Their letter to the president comes days after Mr. Scott, a Republican, personally asked congressional Republicans to wade into the fight.

“The well-being of Florida’s low-income families will remain in jeopardy until your administration approves funding for these vital health services,” Mr. Rubio and 11 House Republicans said in their letter.

Mr. Scott wants the Health and Human Services Department in Washington to renew more than $1 billion in federal funding for a program that compensates hospitals that care for the uninsured, including poor and illegal immigrants.

The program is set to expire this summer, though, and the Health and Human Services says expanding Medicaid under Obamacare is a more efficient way to make sure Florida’s poorest residents can access care.

Mr. Scott has sued over the perceived arm-twisting, saying it violates a 2012 Supreme Court ruling that upheld Obamacare, but also said the government couldn’t threaten to withhold funds as a cudgel to force states to expand Medicaid.

“HHS’s refusal to continue LIP funding in Florida because the state has not expanded Medicaid is an inappropriate overreach and in direct contradiction to the Supreme Court decision,” the congressional Republicans told Mr. Obama.

The standoff has left Mr. Scott in a tough position back home, as the Republican-controlled legislature returns for a special session on the budget and remains split over a path forward.

The state Senate backs expanding Medicaid to more than 800,000 residents, while the House does not.

HHS says it still needs a formal proposal from Florida and insists their decision will not be tied to whether Florida or similarly situated states expand Medicaid to people making 138 percent of the federal poverty level.

Under the Affordable Care Act, the federal government pays for 100 percent of the expansion until 2016 before scaling back its contribution to 90 percent in 2020 and beyond.

Mr. Scott said his state taxpayers would still be on the hook for $5 billion over a 10-year window.

With no end in sight to the impasse, Mr. Scott has ordered agencies to consider what services would be considered essential in the event of a government shutdown this July.

• Tom Howell Jr. can be reached at thowell@washingtontimes.com.

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