Florida Gov. Rick Scott to sue Obama administration over Medicaid expansion
Florida Gov. Rick Scott (R) announced he is suing the Obama administration in a dispute over Medicaid expansion, The Hill reported. This comes after federal health officials told Scott he would have to expand Medicaid if he wanted more federal money to help uninsured Floridians. The Obama administration said it will not renew funding for the Low Income Pool (LIP)-- which provides Florida hospitals with funding to care for the poor--past June, saying the future of LIP is "linked" to expanding Medicaid. Scott said the linkage is in violation of the Supreme Court's ruling on NFIB v. Sebelius in 2012, which stated that the federal government could not coerce states into expanding the program. "The Court ruled that the President could not use 'gun to the head' approaches in pushing for Medicaid expansion," Scott said. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services in response to the lawsuit said it was not coercing Florida to expand Medicaid and that it was a question of doing what "would better serve the low-income population," according to spokesman Aaron Albright. Article
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