EDITORIAL: Thousands of Floridians have died. Heartless Republicans still won’t expand Medicaid

Nov. 17--In his first year in office, Gov. Ron DeSantis has shown more concern for Florida's environment than his predecessor, Rick Scott, ever did. It's time for the governor and his Republican colleagues in the Legislature to muster some compassion for people, too.

Florida's refusal to expand Medicaid coverage is costing lives, according to data from the nonpartisan National Bureau of Economic Research. The study found that states that broadened coverage for low-income residents between 2014 and 2017 saw significant reductions in death rates among adults ages 55 to 64 -- enough, essentially, to save an estimated 19,200 people nationwide.

A follow-up study by the progressive Center on Budget and Policy Priorities broke down the numbers further and found that an estimated 2,776 Floridians lost their lives during that time period because they didn't have Medicaid coverage. Only Texas, with an estimated 2,920 deaths, fared worse.

Not surprisingly, Florida Republicans are dismissive of the research -- just as they've been dismissive of the many Floridians pushing for expanded coverage. Efforts to broaden coverage have gone nowhere since then-Gov. Scott withdrew his endorsement of the idea in 2015, leaving the Legislature deadlocked.

"The chances [of expansion] are as likely as a foot of snow in Miami," says Sen. Aaron Boone, R-Fernandina Beach, chairman of the Senate's healthcare budget committee. "We had that debate a few years ago, and we've moved on."

That's a heartless -- and gutless -- position. A growing number of Floridians can't move on from this debate because they have no affordable healthcare options. Accepting federal funds to expand eligibility would help an estimated 850,000 residents who make too much to qualify for Medicaid but not enough to buy a plan through the federal marketplace under the Affordable Care Act.

A new bill has been introduced to cover that gap in coverage, and it deserves to be heard. It's modeled on a compromise measure approved with Republican support in Virginia earlier this year; under that deal, participants must meet work requirements to qualify. It's an imperfect solution, but it's a good place to resume discussions here.

Florida is now among only 14 states resisting their voters' calls to expand Medicaid, and Republicans in Tallahassee may soon grow more lonely. Kansas, Missouri, North Carolina and Oklahoma are among conservative states that appear to be on the verge of broadening coverage, and Republican officeholders in other states -- such as Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp -- have softened their opposition.

Florida lawmakers should heed the words of Dale Wiggins, the GOP chairman of the County Commission in North Carolina's rural Graham County. "Republican leadership in the state just took the national Republican stance on it and opposed it just because it was something the Democrats had pushed," he said. "People doing what their political party wants rather than what the people of this country need -- that's wrong."

DeSantis and his Republican colleagues may intend to wait for a foot of snow in Miami to acknowledge their mistake on Medicaid expansion.

Given the trend in other states, however, it's unlikely everyone else will just move on while their neighbors are dying.

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