HuffPost did a deep dive into the shameful lack of medical insurance in Florida. According to author Jonathan Cohn, nearly 2.6 million, or about 12% of Floridians lack health insurance, making the state the fifth worst in the country.
Most of the reason is because DeSantis and the Florida legislature have refused to expand Medicaid eligibility under the Affordable Care Act, Cohn explains. In fact, DeSantis was a U.S. Congressmember when the first ACA repeal was brought to the floor. He voted against it because it left in too much protection for people with pre-existing conditions.
Now, the state’s own projections suggest 1.75 million Floridians are about to lose their health coverage, according to Cohn. That’s because the federal government offered states extra Medicaid funding during the COVID-19 pandemic under the condition that nobody was to be thrown off the rolls. That arrangement will end soon, which means Florida will start throwing people off Medicaid.
Expanding Medicaid would help to improve the situation, of course. But DeSantis has “managed to avoid saying much” about it, “including to HuffPost, despite several inquiries to his office over the past three weeks,” Cohn writes.
That is all the more reason for Democrats to start talking about it and making it a big deal, especially if DeSantis decides to run for president. While he micromanages what books students can read, what teachers can teach and what Disney can advocate, he’s doing nothing – or worse – to get his constituents health care.
It not only seems like good politics, it would probably save lives.
