A House select committee Monday opposed expansion of the Medicaid program under the Affordable Care Act.
The select committee, which has been studying the federal law for weeks, split 10-5 along partisan lines, with Republicans opposing expansion and Democrats supporting it.
In a statement, Speaker Will Weatherford said he is “proud of the thoughtful, thorough and deliberative approach that our Select Committee took on the important issues related to Medicaid expansion and health exchanges.”
Continued Weatherford, “I received their recommendations and agree that expanding Medicaid and setting up a state exchange is not in the best interest of our state. We simply cannot count on the federal government to pay 100 percent of the cost for expansion. The facts show that healthcare costs will go up for many Floridians, while access to and quality of healthcare will go down. The ‘all or nothing’ approach that the Obama administration is offering will not work for our state. I know there will be continued discussion about this matter, and I look forward to exploring better policies for our state.”
