Gov. Rick Scott on Friday echoed what several Republican governors have argued for years: that the federal government should simply send money to the state for health care with no strings attached.
“For the federal government to be able to dictate to us how we spend our money makes no sense at all,” Scott said in an interview Friday morning on WOKV radio in Jacksonville.
“Like with Medicaid, they should give us block grants,” Scott continued. “I know what Floridians need.” That’s the same position taken by a number of Republican governors, and many GOP lawmakers around the country for several years.
Washington pays more than half the cost of treating the poor, but in sending that money to the states for the Medicaid program, it has certain requirements for what must be covered.
The Obama administration has rejected the Medicaid block-grant idea, saying it would put seniors and children at risk, because most states, nearly all of which are cash-strapped, would simply stop covering many of those who currently get help under the program in order to save money.
