Florida Gov. Rick Scott spent the weekend expressing his opposition to President Obama's Affordable Care Act. He appeared on Fox News, CNN and CNBC. He announced he will not expand Medicaid in the state or allow open health insurance "exchanges."
But PolitiFact Florida says Scott needs to recheck his facts:
Scott: Medicaid expansion will cost the State $1.9 billion a year.
PolitiFact Ruling: False
The Federal government will pay 100 percent of the states cost to expand Medicaid in the first three budget years. That will drop to 95 percent in 2017, and continue to drop each year until 2020. After that point the government will only fund 90 percent of the program's costs.
The state will end up spending $500 million a year for Medicaid, but even that cost will not kick in till 2020.
Scott: The law could put a business with 20 employees out of business.
"I was in a business the other day, and they walked up to me and they said, ‘Governor, is this really going to become the law?’ " Scott told Fox News host Greta Van Susteren on Friday. " ‘Because if it does, we’re out of business. We have 20 employees. We know we won’t be able to buy any health care for anybody.’ "
PolitiFact Ruling: Pants-on-Fire
Businesses with fewer than 50 full-time employees are not required to offer coverage. However, companies with 50 or more full-time employees will be fined if they do not offer insurance and one of their employees qualifies for government-subsidized insurance.
The law will offer tax credits for small businesses that do offer coverage. And that tax credit will increase for employers with fewer than 25 employees, earning annual wages below $50,000 and offer health insurance. The cap will start at 35 percent and go up to 50 percent in 2014.
Small businesses will also be able to take part in a health insurance exchange, allowing them to comparison shop for plans.
Scott: The health care law will ration care.
"Insurance is not the answer. (The answer is to) drive down the cost of health care. You have insurance in places like U.K. and Canada, where they say, oh we cover you. But you don’t get it, because it’s rationed. That’s what’s going to happen," Scott said.
PolitiFact Ruling: False
The health care law will not pay the bills for health care for everyone like in Canada. That would be like expanding Medicare (the health insurance program for people over 65) to everyone.
The new law will leave in place the current systems of Medicare and Medicaid. It will only expand Medicaid for the very poor, and offer credits for people with modest means to buy insurance on their own.
The government will also not directly own hospitals, thus employing doctors, such as in the United Kingdom.
Politifact says the law will not ration care more or less than the current system.
To hear WUSF's complete interview with PolitiFact Florida's Angie Holan, click on the "listen" icon above.
