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Fla. House panel rejects Medicaid expansion

Florida Health
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FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) - A House committee says Florida should not expand Medicaid coverage to roughly 1 million more residents under the federal health law.

Committee members expressed concerns about the quality of patient care and the cost to the state. Rep. Rich Corcoran, R-Land O'Lakes, said during a meeting Monday in Tallahassee that the state has to find a safety net for the uninsured but "Medicaid expansion is not it."

Gov. Rick Scott recently proposed expanding Medicaid for three years as long as the federal government foots the entire bill. The Legislature must still sign off on it, and lawmakers have not been shy in expressing their skepticism about the quality and cost of the Affordable Care Act.

A Senate committee has postponed its hearing on the issue.