TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL)-- Florida Governor Rick Scott has decided not to block a medicaid expansion under the new federal health care overhaul. The governor making that announcement at the Governor's Mansion Wednesday. Scott says that Florida should go along unless federal officials back away from a commitment to pick up the cost. It's a reversal of position for Scott in the eyes of conservatives opposed to the health care law, known as "Obamacare."
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) -- Florida Gov. Rick Scott has announced that he will expand Medicaid to an estimated 900,000 additional Florida residents under President Barack Obama's health care overhaul. The decision is a surprise since Scott has been a vocal critic of the Affordable Care Act.
The Republican governor said Wednesday that he will support a bill that would expire in three years. Scott entered politics in 2009 running national cable TV commercials criticizing the president's plan.
The federal government will pay for the Medicaid expansion for the first three years and pay 90 percent after that.
Scott joins six other Republican governors who are also expanding Medicaid.
The decision came hours after federal officials announced they will approve Florida's request to privatize its existing Medicaid program if the state agrees to measure the quality of patient care.
