Washington’s Health Care “Reform” Efforts will Harm Florida

Nov 6, 2009

I sent this note, discussing the adverse effects Washington D.C.‘s health care “reform” proposal will have on the state of Florida, to people who have subscribed to my newsletter! If you would like to receive regular updates from me, please take a moment to visit my homepage and sign up.

Dear Friends,

As the debate on health care has continued over the past few months, a major factor has been missing from the debate: the effect this so-called reform will have upon our state.

Many have argued that this is a federal issue that does not affect the states.  Nothing could be further from the truth. The current D.C. health care plan proposes to expand coverage to the uninsured through a major expansion of Medicaid.  This is a program administered by the states, though all of the rules are made in Washington.  Their solution to health care will involve billions if not trillions of dollars in costs to taxpayers at a time when one in ten Floridians is out of work.  Who is going to pay for this so-called reform?  This is not a free program, and the trillion-dollar price tag on the Washington version of health care reform will mean higher taxes to Floridians or even more debt for our kids and grandkids.

Medicaid is already the largest portion of our state budget. It is nearly $18 billion out of $66 billion.
It is also the fastest growing expense in our state budget.
Yet, no one is happy with this system: not doctors, not providers, not hospitals, and most importantly, not Medicaid recipients themselves.

If we all agree the system is broken, why would we expand the number of patients in a program that cannot control costs and clearly does not provide the quality care all Americans should expect?

-As of September 30, 2,695,400 patients were enrolled in Medicaid in Florida.

-Last year, Floridians spent $6,619 per eligible recipient.

-According to the Heritage Foundation, Florida would see a 54% increase in its Medicaid rolls under the proposals coming out of Washington.  Much of the cost of this expansion will fall upon the states.

-Florida has consistently been on the hook for at least 40% of the cost of this program.  If history is any indicator, that percentage is sure to grow as more and more costs will be shifted to the states over time.

To further illustrate, how important significant these costs will be every dollar we are mandated to spend on Medicaid will mean fewer dollars for other priorities like our schools, our roads, our environment and for making sure violent criminals stay behind bars. 

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, who introduced the bill last Thursday, is pressing hard for a rushed vote on this legislation by the end of the week.  With the potential for a major expansion of a broken program that would be paid for in higher taxes and greater debt, we need to be sure that we fully understand the implications of this legislation. To be sure that Congress does not rush to pass these health care costs onto Floridians, please contact your congressman today and let them know about your questions and concerns.

To learn more, or if I can ever be of service, feel free to visit my website, http://www.senatormike.com, or email me at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).

Sincerely,

Mike Haridopolos

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