Florida Won’t Meet Friday Obamacare Deadline

November 16, 2012

Florida will not meet a Friday deadline to determine what course it will take to implement a key part of the 2010 federal health overhaul, the Legislature’s incoming leaders wrote in a letter Thursday to U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius.

Incoming Senate President Don Gaetz, R-Niceville, and incoming House Speaker Will Weatherford, R-Wesley Chapel, said in a joint statement that the state won’t meet the deadline for mapping out a general plan to establish insurance exchanges.

That won’t happen until after lawmakers meet in March, the leaders said. In the meantime, lawmakers need more information on the program.

“Two factors prevent immediate state action on the establishment of an exchange,” the letter said.”First, the Legislature has not authorized the governor or any state agency or other entity to develop and operate an exchange, and no such authority can be established until the Legislature convenes in March. Second, the state lacks sufficient information to fully evaluate the potential impact of choosing one exchange model over another. The first issue will be addressed through the debate and decisions expected to occur during the 2013 legislative session. However, resolution of the second issue depends on the ability of your agency to provide answers to numerous critical questions.”

Hoping for repeal of the federal law, the Republican-led Legislature has waited until after the 2012 presidential election to begin the process of implementing what has come to be known as ObamaCare. With the re-election of President Barack Obama and a continued Democratic majority in the Senate, repeal efforts have been dashed, at least for the next four years.

By The News Service of Florida

Comments

10 Responses to “Florida Won’t Meet Friday Obamacare Deadline”

  1. sonors on November 16th, 2012 10:09 am

    AH Cmon folks,,,they will get to it as soon as they finish counting the primary election votes !!!

  2. Bob on November 16th, 2012 9:58 am

    What’s wrong is the divide. People with good high paying employment with big business low cost healthcare. Verses low cost employment part time minimum wage employer that doesn’t offer fair cost health care insurances. That’s the problem.

  3. GRAHAM on November 16th, 2012 9:16 am

    HEY BOB, EVEN THE MAJORITY CAN BE WRONG. GUESS WHO THE MAJORITY ARE, ILLEGALS, MAJOR MINORITES ALL WHO WANT TO TAKE AND DONT LIKE TO GIVE. GET OVER IT

  4. Bob on November 16th, 2012 9:08 am

    Suck it up that’s what the majority voted for.

  5. Concerned Citizen on November 16th, 2012 8:47 am

    It’s because of people like Bob, Kathy & PSUEarl that the state of Florida has to even worry about the socialistic obamacare.

  6. Nick on November 16th, 2012 8:40 am

    Heaven forbid we have universal health care like are industrialized neighbors Germany, England, France?

  7. ProudRepublican on November 16th, 2012 8:29 am

    When you Obama followers find out what Obamacare is going to do for our weak economy, you will be sorry you voted for an incompetent leader and his ideas.

  8. Bob on November 16th, 2012 8:02 am

    That’s your great governor you elected. Just a cookie cutter republican being guided by Romney. He needs to be sent on his way away from Florida.

  9. Kathy on November 16th, 2012 7:18 am

    The agony of defeat, then admission of stupidity. The great State of Florida once again reveals its ugly side. We are not ready and we don’t understand the decision we have to make, says Don Gaetz to the feds? A one party State government is no the great joy we thought it was.

  10. PSUEarl on November 16th, 2012 6:55 am

    Well if you wait until the day of the deadline, don’t blame the Feds… Tell me in what business that you can wait until the day of a deadline to start asking questions and then ask for months of extensions to finish the work? In the real world you would be fired! What happened to all of Scott’s real world work experience of being a businessman? Would he allow one of his contractors to continue if they did the same?