Since President Obama's re-election, political commentators in Florida have observed that Gov. Rick Scott has been hailed by columnists as finally "getting it," after he declared that the election was history and it's time to implement the health care reform plan — a plan he has bitterly opposed for the past couple of years, but is now the law of the land.
Earlier this month, the governor told a lawyers convention in Washington that he intends to sit down soon with Health & Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius to work out a solution for a health care insurance exchange that will be run by either the state or in concert with the feds.
But Tampa-area Democratic Congresswoman Kathy Castor isn't satisfied with Scott's change of heart. She wants to see concrete actions.
In a letter sent today to the governor, Castor urged him to begin implementing the provisions of the Affordable Care Act that would increase reimbursements to primary care physicians treating Medicaid patients.
"The State of Florida has no legal or rational justification to delay the increase," Castor wrote. "Indeed, it is in the best interests of Florida families to move as expeditiously as possible."
"Florida reimbursement rates to Medicaid doctors have been notoriously low for decades," Castor continued. "The unconscionably low rates have deterred talented doctors from serving families and seniors who rely on Medicaid. In turn, without an adequate primary care workforce, the low rates have been a barrier to access to quality health care for Florida children with special needs, newborn babies and many of our older neighbors."
This article appears in Nov 22-28, 2012.