Florida Republicans repeal Medicaid Medically Needy and Medicaid Aged and Disabled programs

[seafan]

Wait, the Republican Legislature still has a couple more hours before they leave town permanently. Plenty of time left for more.



House, Senate OK Repeal Of 2 Health Care Programs

By CATHERINE DOLINSKI
The Tampa Tribune

May 2, 2008

TALLAHASSEE - Even as House and Senate lawmakers neared agreement with Gov. Charlie Crist on a compromise plan to lower the uninsured rate, the chambers passed legislation that could end two health care programs that serve 40,000 vulnerable Floridians.

Crist has been pushing a plan to lower the rate of those without health insurance by offering low-cost, limited-benefits policies to those without coverage. Although the Senate embraced and approved that plan, the House advanced its own legislation that not only contained Crist's proposal, but contained a separate plan that would create a little-regulated marketplace of health care products that the uninsured could access through their employers.

Crist and senators have faulted the House plan as dangerous to consumers and too bureaucratic and costly, since it entails the creation of a public-private corporation to oversee the little-regulated "farmer's marketplace" of health care products.

.....

On the same day those negotiations neared a close, House lawmakers adopted a Senate bill that repeals the Medicaid Medically Needy and Medicaid Aged and Disabled programs.

.....

On Thursday, Ross was outraged to learn that lawmakers had approved a repeal of the programs, effective July 1, 2009. In the case of Medically Needy, the program would sunset for all but pregnant women and children; the Aged and Disabled program would disappear entirely - unless next year's Legislature chooses to reinstate and fund the programs.

"I feel raped," said (Mary Ellen Ross, a 55-year-old liver and bone-marrow transplant recipient from Delray Beach who leads the Florida Transplant Survivors Coalition), who called it "back-door politics" and said she had no confidence that a future Legislature would act to restore the programs. For years, she said, the Legislature has tried to eliminate funding for those programs. "They're signing the death warrants of 40,000 people," she said.

Bean said lawmakers had to sunset the programs, leaving their fates up to the 2008 Legislature, because the trust fund dollars were nonrecurring. Legally, he said, sunsetting the programs was the only way to spend the dollars on otherwise recurring programs.

Rep. Loranne Ausley, D-Tallahassee, said she remains worried about leaving the fate of the programs so uncertain.

"I'm very concerned about it," Ausley said. "We can't bind future Legislatures."

.....

[MichiganVote]

1. Nazi America

[alfredo]

2. Those old people drive too slow anyway.

[VP505]

3. Yet people will continue

voting for those same politicos responsible for this kind of crap.

[Wiley50]

4. I'm not sure that they can do this

at least to those, like me, covered by SSI disability

Medicaid comes with the SSI

It's federal.

Anywhere in the country I live they have to furnish Medicaid.

Am I wrong?

[eShirl]

7. medicare, I think is what you're thinking of

a lot of people have both, I know

[Wiley50]

10. Nope. I have Medicaid only. I know. n/t

[DAGDA56]

8. At least in Florida, Wiley, your SSI covers everything... you don't

have to get the full $637...just $1 of SSI and you're covered. SS Disability...now that's another matter entirely.

[Wiley50]

11. I get the full $637

and they pay for everything medical

not even any co pays

I get up to 5 prescriptions a month

only 2 of them can be brand name

Oh, I do pay $3 co pay on the brand names

[DAGDA56]

13. Sounds like you're good to go, then...what Florida is talking about

cutting is coverage for people getting Social Security disability, survivors benefits and other State supplements.

[Crunchy Frog]

5. I'm sure all the people who were howling about Terri Schiavo

will howl about this as well.

[eShirl]

9. ha, good one

[onethatcares]

6. just imagine where we'll be when we cut all the taxes on everything

this is what the country club/condominium looks like when no one pays the dues or association fees. For some reason, I'm not amazed at this legislative bullshit.

[DAGDA56]

12. This is absolutely horrible! The medically needy program is like...

...free catastrophic health care. In short, you don't have it util you use it...and there is a "share of cost" factor determined by income. Each month you must hit the magic number in medical bills, and everything else is then covered. For people on Social Security (not SSI) this will be devestating...they will be unable to meet the cost of perscriptions. I am surprised the hospitals aren't fighting this, as they would lose millions.

[BlueCaliDem]

14. And yet the majority of Floridians still vote Repuke... Go figure. eom

[flashl]

15. K&R