A Senate health panel has refused to confirm Florida’s Surgeon General. The move comes amid a spat between Governor Rick Scott, the House and Senate over the future of Florida’s healthcare system. Meanwhile Scott says the federal government can’t be trusted to pay for an expansion to Medicaid.
The Governor's comments come amid contentious negotiations between the state and the federal government over an extension of a separate program that reimburses hospitals for uncompensated care. Scott spoke to WMFE during an Orlando jobs announcement:
“It’s a program they started and now they’re saying they’re not going to continue it. So I’m concerned about expanding, having any relationship with the federal government, where they’re asking us, you expand some costs and we’ll pay part of it," Scott said. "How can you trust somebody like that when they have an existing health care program the same agency is walking away from it.”
The Florida Senate is pushing a plan to pull down additional federal Medicaid dollars to insure up to 800,000 Floridians, but the proposal is getting pushback from the House.
Meanwhile, a Senate Health panel has refused to confirm Scott’s pick for Florida Surgeon General. John Armstrong refused multiple times to state his position on Medicaid expansion.
“I think we would appreciate the ongoing opportunity to listen to that conversation as this is ultimately a conversation with the legislature and the governor when it comes to those issues," he told the Senate's Health Policy Committee.
The impasse over Medicaid and uncertainty over the Low-Income pool funds has put legislative budget talks on hold.
