Rick Scott may have claimed his decision to back Medicaid expansion in Florida wasn't a "white flag of surrender to government run health care," but his Tea Party supporters don't see it that way.
Americans For Prosperity, the Koch brothers so-called "grassroots" Tea Party group issued this statement on their website following Rick Scott's Medicaid reversal:
Governor Scott Flip-Flops on Medicaid Expansion
Support of Expansion a huge threat to Florida’s financial future
Tallahassee, Florida— Today, Florida Governor Rick Scott flip-flopped from his long-held stance opposing Medicaid expansion.
AFP-Florida’s State Director Slade O’Brien had the following comments:
“Governor Scott’s announcement today is extremely disappointing. Governor Scott had been a national leader in the fight against President Obama’s healthcare takeover. He was elected because of his principled conservative leadership against ObamaCare’s overreach, and led the charge, with Attorney General Pam Bondi, to take ObamaCare to the Supreme Court. But today he came out in support of the Medicaid expansion he vowed to oppose.”
“At every level of government, it is too easy for politicians to spend other people’s money. For far too long, states have fallen for the promises of “free” federal money ignoring the insidious federal strings and the long-term effects on state budgets. Florida’s Medicaid program already costs the taxpayers more than $20 billion a year, and the financial burden will only grow if a million new people are added to the program. Hopefully our legislative leaders will not follow in Governor Scott’s footsteps and will reject expansion of this broken system.”
And to think Scott spoke as if he was certain he would still be in office in three years when the expansion will sunset.
Let the games begin....
