Rubio Applauds Restarting of Florida Healthy Kids Full-Pay Program

MIAMI, Florida, May 6 -- The office of Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Florida, issued the following news release:

Today, U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) applauded the Florida Legislature's move to restore affordable health insurance options for families participating in the Florida Healthy Kids full-pay plan. In 2015, federal bureaucrats in the Obama administration forced Florida to change the way it administered the popular full-pay plan under the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) for vulnerable children, causing premiums to nearly double in 2016.

Rubio secured a fix to this problem in the 10-year reauthorization of CHIP, finally giving Florida the opportunity to lower premiums and expand low-cost medical and dental insurance to nearly 150,000 uninsured children in Florida.

"After the Obama administration took punitive action at the expense of children in Florida who depended on the Florida Healthy Kids full-pay plan, I secured a provision in federal law to ensure that the Florida legislature could once again restore this vital program," Rubio said. "I applaud the Florida Legislature for coming together and funding the Florida Healthy Kids full-pay plan. Every child in our state should have access to affordable, quality health care, and the Florida Healthy Kids Corporation plays an important role in making that a reality."

The Florida Healthy Kids Corporation also celebrated the Florida Legislature's move to include this funding.

Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis said, "Every child in our state deserves access to vital health services and adding Florida Healthy Kids to this year's budget is a big win for Florida families. Many more kids will now be able to access health care, and I thank Senate President Galvano and Speaker Oliva for including this in the budget. Dr. Haridopolos has been a true advocate on this issue, and I will continue to work side-by-side with her to fight for child-centric health insurance for those who need it. Families deserve peace of mind to know their kids have access to affordable, quality health care."

Chair of the Corporation's Board of Directors, Dr. Stephanie Haridopolos said, "It has been a pleasure to work alongside the Florida Legislature this year to help make insurance for children more affordable. There are many great champions for Florida KidCare across the state, and I am especially grateful to Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis, House Speaker Jose Oliva, Senate President Bill Galvano, Representative Chris Sprowls, Senator Aaron Bean, along with Representative Travis Cummings and Senator Rob Bradley, for helping make this funding proposal a reality. As a doctor, I know the important role access to health care can play in a child's long-term health, and I thank the House and Senate for their commitment to our next generation. I look forward to engaging with Governor DeSantis on this important step for Florida families as he considers the budget in the coming days."

Corporation CEO Rebecca Matthews said, "Thank you to the entire Florida Legislature for their commitment to making insurance for Florida's children more affordable. We believe every child deserves access to the health care they need to grow up strong, healthy and happy. We will work tirelessly to make sure every Florida family knows that affordable options are available through the Florida KidCare program."