Some 800,000 Floridians are still stuck in the Medicaid gap—too poor to qualify for subsidies on the Obamacare exchange and too "rich" to qualify for traditional Medicaid. That should be of primary concern to Florida's political leadership, but it most certainly is not. After all,
they've got nothing to worry about, personally.
Gov. Rick Scott, Lt. Gov. Carlos Lopez-Cantera, Attorney General Pam Bondi, Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam and Chief Financial Officer Jeff Atwater all pay just $8.34 a month for individual coverage and $30 for their family policies.
House members paid that same amount until two years ago, when they joined the Senate in contributing more toward their insurance like most rank-and-file state workers: $50 for individuals and $180 for families. House members changed the policy partially to combat criticism they opposed Medicaid expansion while enjoying cheap insurance for themselves. […]
Rep. Travis Cummings, R-Orange Park, pays $180 a month for insurance for his family of five and voted “no” on the Senate plan. He said he understands how that might look, but the decision required him to look deeper than simply the cost of insurance for himself or others.
"I just think that's not only a complicated decision but one that's multi-faceted," Cummings said. "It's not just about coverage to people who haven't been as fortunate or as blessed as me, but there are other factors who have led me to not vote in support."
Cummings said he opposes Medicaid expansion because it requires the state to provide coverage to "able-bodied, childless adults" who theoretically can find work and pay for their own insurance.
It's pretty much entirely about coverage to people who don't have the advantages Rep. Cummings enjoys in life, actually. It's about those able-bodied adults who would have to come up with a lot more than just $50 a month to be able to buy health insurance and who have found work but still can't pay for insurance. In fact,
more than half of Florida's uninsured are employed. They're in all sorts of jobs, both part- and full-time, that contribute to Florida's economy and that pay Cummings' legislative salary AND his health insurance.