Opinion

Scott's switch

TBO.com
Published: February 28, 2013

Maybe it wasn't a Road to Damascus experience, but Gov. Rick Scott has done a 180 on the subject of expanding Florida's Medicaid rolls under the federal Affordable Care Act. The former hospital executive, who has had concerns about the impact of Medicaid expansion on the state's budget, said this week he will go along with the plan after all. Whether this makes Medicaid expansion a done deal — or a good idea — remains to be seen.

If anyone accuses Scott of switching for political reasons, he can point to Ohio Gov. John Kasich, a conservative icon during his days in the U.S. House. Kasich is backing Medicaid expansion in the Buckeye State.

Both Scott and Kasich, however, are trying to leave themselves an out. They are only in favor of expansion for three years, the period during which the federal government will pay 100 percent of the states' increased Medicaid costs. In addition, Scott has won Washington's permission to shift Florida Medicaid recipients into private health care plans, perhaps reducing costs. Whether Scott will still be Florida's chief executive in 2017, however, is iffy at best.

The Legislature will have to approve expansion, and Speaker Will Weatherford, R-Wesley Chapel, remains wary. State Rep. Mike Fasano, R-New Port Richey, however, hailed Scott for recognizing "we have a responsibility to help those that have no access to even primary care."

Unfortunately, there are so many unknowns surrounding the Affordable Care Act, nothing in health care can be considered a certainty.