[ilovetv]

Originally Posted by janmcn

These cuts at the local hospitals might not have happened if the Florida Legislature had not just rejected 55 billion federal dollars to expand Medicaid over ten years. Now these tax dollars, earmarked for Florida, will go to other states who will expand Medicaid, while almost one million people in Florida will remain uninsured.

The hopitals lose because they have to continue to treat the uninsured for free, while other states receive billions of dollars.

It's a lose, lose for everybody except for the members of the Florida House of Representatives who continue to pay $8.24 per month for their tax-payer subsidized health care. Wouldn't the Medicaid eligible uninsured love to have health insurance for $8.24 per month, or $30 per month for a family.

There is much more to this story than our state just accepting this "gift" from the feds:

Costly expansion wouldn't improve Floridians' health
May 17, 2013|By Bob Williams Guest columnist

The state Legislature's decision this year to reject Medicaid expansion was the correct decision for Florida. There is little evidence that growing the health-care program for the poor would improve the health of state residents.

A recent study in the New England Journal of Medicine is all the proof that Sunshine State legislators needed to reject Medicaid expansion. Those lamenting the failed implementation of this part of the federal Affordable Care Act in Florida can look to Oregon to see that Floridians won't be missing out on much.

Oregon expanded Medicaid coverage in 2008 by a lottery, allowing researchers to conduct the gold standard of all studies — a randomized, controlled test of the program. The study showed that when it came to health outcomes, the only improvement found for those receiving Medicaid was in mental health.

New Medicaid recipients showed no significant improvement over those who did not receive coverage when it came to blood pressure, cholesterol levels and blood-glucose levels. Medicaid coverage did not even have a significant effect on the diagnosis of related cardiac issues or the use of medication for those health problems.

These results didn't stop proponents of expanding Medicaid from spinning the study. Grasping at straws, they said Medicaid recipients used more health-care services — never mind that doing so did little to improve health outcomes.

Put bluntly, Medicaid expansion makes its recipients feel better, even if they aren't receiving better medical care. In that way, the federal health law lives up to its name — it may be affordable care, but it is not effective care. All while new programs are being developed as healthy alternatives to Medicaid expansion like a successful pilot program that should be expanded.

Under the program, with an approach that supporters call CURE, patients have the power to choose among private plans and change their plans for any reason. CURE provides patients with financial incentives for healthy behavior and saves $118 million per year over the traditional Medicaid program, according to the Foundation for Government Accountability, a Florida public-policy organization that promotes limited government.

CURE also gives patients choices that lead to higher satisfaction with their coverage. Expanding this approach is a better option than expanding Medicaid in Florida...."

Column supports Florida lawmakers in rejecting Medicaid expansion - Orlando Sentinel