WCJB (ABC) Gainesville
TV 20 News at 5:30 p.m.
June 25, 2015News transcriptWith today’s U.S. Supreme Court ruling, the Affordable Health Care stays in place, but Matt Galka explains….Matt Galka: Florida had plenty to lose if justices ruled the other way. Six million Americans were at risk of losing federal subsidies for health care if the United States Supreme Court ruled that way Thursday. In a 6-3 decision, justices upheld the Affordable Care Act subsidy program. Obamacare supporters say that Florida lucked out because of the ruling. Florida had the most to lose. 1.3 million people in the state currently enrolled in the program could have been out of luck. Damien Filer with Progress Florida says the state dodged a bullet.Damien Filer: “More than a million Floridians, more than anyone else in the country, would have potentially have lost their health care coverage that their families are depending upon.”Matt Galka: But Sal Nuzzo with political think tank The James Madison Institute was disappointed in the decision. He says long term health care affordability problems will still plague the state.Sal Nuzzo: “Florida will continue to face several challenges with respect to health care service delivery, we will face an impending doctor shortage, we will need to champion innovation in healthcare service delivery.”Matt Galka: The governor addressed the ruling at an event in St. Augustine.Gov. Scott: “It’s a bad law. It’s made promises after promises. Remember it was supposed to reduce healthcare costs. Costs have gone up. Exchanges around the country are collapsing.”Matt Galka: The Florida legislature faced a healthcare funding crisis in 2015 which caused state senators to push for Medicaid expansion using federal money. The effort failed. Had the court ruled the other way – no contingency plan would have been in place for the more than one million Floridians who would have had their health care taken away. Reporting in Tallahasssee, I’m Matt Galka, TV20 news.Florida’s senate president released a statement supporting the decision, but used the ruling to push for Medicaid expansion in the state.
