Several Republican governors have found themselves in an awkward spot. On the one hand, federal Medicaid expansion is an exceptional deal for their states, and they'd be foolish to turn it down. On the other, they're supposed to hate everything about the Affordable Care Act for ideological reasons, and resist its provisions regardless of merit.
As a result, we see governors like Florida's Rick Scott (R) looking for excuses to turn down the Medicaid expansion that common sense suggests he should accept.
In this clip, Scott talked on Monday to reporters in DC, and said he's inclined to oppose the administration's Medicaid policy on cost grounds: the expansion, he said would cost about $63 billion over the next decade overall, and Florida would be expected to cover $25.8 billion of that total.
The problem is, the governor knows what he's saying isn't true. As the Orlando Sentinel reported, "Gov. Rick Scott has taken to the airwaves in recent weeks to declare that the federal health-care law's Medicaid expansion would come at a much higher cost to Florida than previous estimates. Turns out he may have been fudging the numbers."
Health News Florida reported this week that state budget analysts told the governor in a series of emails weeks ago that his cost estimates are wrong. Scott doesn't seem to care.
The flawed report, "Estimates Related to the Affordable Care Act," was sent to members of the Legislative Budget Commission on Dec. 17. Three days later, two of the recipients pointed out the faulty assumptions and sent it back to AHCA for a do-over. They said it would violate Florida law to proceed with the estimate.
But Michael Anway, Scott's new coordinator for health policy and budget, sent an e-mail Friday to the others saying he will submit the original estimates as an "alternative forecast" when the revised AHCA report comes before the next budget estimating conference.
As far as the governor's office is concerned, federal law includes unambiguous Medicaid funding levels, but since federal spending levels may change, there's no harm in making arbitrary assumptions about the future and relying on those inflated/exaggerated figures as accurate.
In other words, the governor's office was told in writing that Scott's numbers don't match with reality, so the governor's office created an alternative reality in which Scott's numbers might be true and deserve to be repeated publicly.
Told that they couldn't include deliberately wrong information in official state forecasts, Scott and his aides decided to publish the bogus information anyway as an "alternative forecast."
For the record, independent groups such as the Kaiser Family Foundation have concluded that Medicaid expansion would probably cost Florida about $8.9 billion over the next decade, not $25.8 billion. This number is based on existing law and facts. [Update: The Health News Florida report originally misstated the KFF's findings, and this paragraph now reflects the accurate data.]
But Rick Scott doesn't want to be bothered with facts; he has an ideological axe to grind.
Would now be a good time to point out that Scott's claim to fame, before getting elected, was his involvement in suspected health care fraud?
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Once a conman, always a conman.
Conman? Criminal is the accurate word. Criminal who committed fraud.
Q: How do you know Rick Scott is lying?
A: Look and see if his lips are moving.
That picture makes him look like Max Headroom. Sorry, didn't mean to insult you Max. Scott is a back-stabbing turd who needs to be kicked out of office. I have relatives in FL and they cannot stand him (along with the rest of us)...
Truly a despicable human being .
An affront to caring responsible people everywhere.
Would now be a good time to point out that Scott's claim to fame is being accused of defrauding the United States through alleged health care schemes?
Yes. It's always a good time to point that out. -- And what sick-n-effin-tired said.
I have faith in Rick Scott, unshakable faith. Yes indeed. If there's a way to screw the poor, I know he will find it.
He is one of the GOP's best advertisements for how to do it: Keep 'em from voting, keep 'em unhealthy, keep em unemployed and keep 'em poor.
This is a guy whose company was convicted of defrauding medicare and paid the largest fine in history and Floridians elected him? They deserve him.
No we don't .
I get so tired of hearing that .
He was elected by the mugwumps who populate this state and were swayed by Rove's anti-democratic ads that started months before he even won the primary.
Add to that a weak candidate (Alex Sink) and the fact that Christ chose not to run for a second term.
The county that I live in went 62-38 for Mitt . They give low information a new defining bar . Mitt signs out in front of single wide dumps .
Those are the people who elected him and believe me they are full of regret.
sick,
thanks for reminding us that painting with a broad brush is never a good idea. Rachel did a story about the layers of Florida-how people voted in different parts of the state, and who makes up some of those parts. So, no you don't deserve Rick Scott.
I live in Illinois and I don't deserve some of the people serving in my state government. However, I do need to be diligent about trying to oust them next tiem.
The fable of the frogs who wanted a king comes to mind.
I feel your pain.
North Carolina this week begins its first period of Republican control of both the governor's office and the legislature since 1896 and North Carolinians get to experience the joy of government by King Stork. I hope they decide they don't like being eaten, but most conservatives seem to think being digested alive by their betters is a virtue, so, we'll see.
The Republicans eat their own.
All Southern politics does is continue to prove that the average white southerner is still stupid enough to think going out to fight and die for Ol' Massa is a Good Thing. Ignorance is in their DNA now.
"...but most conservatives seem to think being digested alive by their betters is a virtue,.."
As long as their "betters" are white I think they believe that they'll still be okay, let's see what those in the "double wides" start to believe when the heat gets turned up on them also.....
In the meantime WE have to fight the ignorance and get these traitors to "THE PEOPLE" out of office! And can we start with Rick Scott - wasn't he convicted and shouldn't he be in jail not public office?!
He's a Republican. His claims don't have to be true. They just have to be made, thus becoming Truth.
So, Gov. Lex Luthor continues to show that he'll lie through his teeth so that those citizens of his state will continue to suffer as he also continues to enrich those who are quite comfortable.
Disgusting to say the least.
And the corruption continues to rumble throughout the GOP...
I am not the first here to note it but it bears repeating: This is the same guy who got into trouble for cooking the books on Medicaid when he was the head of a health insurance company that got hit with the largest fine for fraud in history.
Scott isn't the only governor doing the unskewed shuffle, but he is the sleaziest.
Rick Scott is right out of "Needful Things" selling the gullible what he makes them believe they need.
A conjurer and thief. Does anybody actually love this weasel? I'd like to know who!
Actually, I do know an idiot in northern Florida who is so ignorant and filled with hate for anyone better than he is (since he's a loser, that's pretty much everybody) that he loves Rick Scott. That's the type who becomes a winger.
It doesn't matter, Christ will clean Scott's clock next cycle, and Ricky will return to his Health Care Scam business, free to wield and perhaps step into a lobbyist situation.
Some journalist needs to ferret out what Ricks business gets from any HCR implementation. (Steve?)
I hope you mean Crist...just sayin'.
Actually, I'd love to see Christ clean Scott's clock, but he was all "turn the other cheek" this, and "love your neighbor" that. D@mn hippie! Ah well...
Actually, I have the same spelling problem as Robman - I conflate Charlie Crist and Chris Christie. Too confusing!
The hardest part of keeping is finding out what is true. It is very difficult to know what is true and what is not. There is a lot of information available, but is it factual? It used to be that you could read a newspaper and the news would be mostly factual. That is not the case any longer. Most of what is called news is commentary or opinion and they don't tell you which is which. Many people who vote for republicans vote against their own self interest. Many who get a lot of assistance from the government think that the politicians are talking about others and don't see themselves as being on the dole. Voters need to wise up and make more informed voting decisions.
Am I the only one who thinks Florida's governor looks like an alien?
That's a big insult to all aliens. Don't be surprised if you get a visit from a very angry facehugger, a grouchy Klingon, or a perturbed Predator!
Not to mention that Time Lords are WAY better looking than that. {googly over David Tennant}
(He kinda reminds me of Terry Bradshaw though.)
I'm reminded of the shop that Cheney set up to "reinterpret" the data from the Middle East in order to show that Iraq had WMD. Does Scott have Douglas Feith on his payroll?