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Gov. Scott is NOT a health care proponent

2 min read

To the editor:

It’s humorous that Rick Scott is visiting Southwest Florida this week and visiting 21st Century Oncology to show support for cancer research. Support for what? Denying benefits to roughly 1 million Floridians by not supporting extending Medicaid benefits to low- income Floridians? He states he is “for” accepting the expansion but in truth, has done nothing in his role as governor to convince the GOP lead state legislature. Apparently, he believes only the wealthy deserve medical care. He supports the repeal of Obamacare (ACA) which offers health insurance subsidies to the unemployed or employees that do not qualify for health insurance at their employers.

I just don’t understand how offering health care is bad for the state of Florida? Florida would have received $51 billion from the federal government over a decade to overhaul it’s Medicaid program. That money would have trickled down to doctors and hospitals and the communities they serve. Sick people would have received care that would have prevented them from getting sicker. As it stands today, six people a day in Florida die because they are unable to obtain reasonably priced health care.

How is extending health care insurance to all a bad thing? Pre-existing conditions are a thing of the past and insurance companies can no longer cap lifetime coverage. Young adults are allowed to stay on their parent’s health plans longer. Free wellness care and preventive screenings for deadly diseases. And the donut hole in healthcare coverage is finally closing.

Rick Scott made his millions at HCA Columbia (a hospital management company) and paid the highest medicare fraud fine ever of $1.7 BILLION right after Scott resigned. Additionally, Scott took his Fifth Amendment right to not incriminate himself 75 times when prosecutors interviewed him about the fraud. Perhaps Scott is angry that his former company and friends can no longer overcharge the federal government and his “constituents” for overpriced drugs and needless procedures.

It is time for Scott to leave. His tenure as governor is only hurting the State of Florida and our people.

Marjorie Lyman

Cape Coral