Sine die came three days early for the Florida House as the Legislature looked no closer on Tuesday to reaching an agreement over whether the state should expand Medicaid.
“At this time, we are at an unfortunate impasse,” House Speaker Steve Crisafulli, R-Merritt Island, wrote in a letter to the Florida Senate. “It’s our understanding from the Senate responses that you would prefer to wait on allocation decisions until the House expands Medicaid, or until CMS provides us with sufficient funds in response to our LIP waiver request.”
The original adjournment was scheduled for Friday.
On Monday, Senate President Andy Gardiner penned a letter to Justin Senior, deputy secretary for Medicaid, that the federal government needed to make some sort of arrangement for LIP funds.
“We are concerned that with no suggestion of expanded coverage, such as the one recommended by the Florida Senate, the state may not be successful in gaining authority to spend $2.2 billion in LIP payments. Without additional coverage, your LIP model may not be construed as a first step in a transition plan,’’ he wrote. “As you know, the Legislature is responsible for constructing a balanced budget that meets Floridians’ need for education, public safety, environmental protection, and other important governmental functions, as well as health care. Failure to use available federal resources for expanding coverage will create negative fiscal and economic consequences for the state that are simply unnecessary.”
By: Allison Nielsen | Posted: April 28, 2015 1:54 PM
