Monday, January 3, 2011

Janet! Brad! Janet! Gov. Scott! Rocky!

The Gov. Rick Scott Galtian Utopia Tour 2011 warms up the opening aria of anarchy as the former CEO of Florida's largest for-profit hospital chain (busted for billions in Medicare and Medicaid fraud) of course says state run public hospitals need to go.

Florida's government-owned hospitals will be in the political cross hairs after Tuesday's inauguration of Rick Scott, once leader of the nation's largest for-profit hospital chain.

The governor-elect's transition team has recommended creation of a panel to study whether government-owned hospitals -- Miami-Dade's Jackson Health System and Broward's two hospital districts among them -- are necessary.

"This is going to be a very hot topic during the legislative session,'' said Barney Bishop of Associated Industries of Florida, lobbyists for the state's large businesses.

The new focus on public hospitals comes as a related crisis looms: Because the state has failed so far to deliver promised Medicaid reforms, Florida stands to lose $350 million in special funding from the federal government unless it can get an extension of a waiver.

These funds, called the Lower Income Pool, are crucial to Jackson, which received $258 million from the pool last year.

Jackson -- with its record of financial troubles -- may face particular challenges in the new administration, according to Alan Levine, who chaired the committee that made the healthcare recommendations to Scott.
"Make no mistake,'' Levine said. "The governance of Jackson has historically been very poor. . . . They're going to find that the Legislature is going to be increasingly unwilling to fund the infamous misadventures of Jackson.''

Scott and his buddies want to convert all the state's government run public hospitals to non-profits, which means they'd be able to turn away patients without insurance...and leaving those who can't pay the option of expensive ER trips or no health care at all.

But Ricky there says it's time to pull the plug on the poor who don't have insurance or Medicaid, and if you think the state's going to play ball with the Affordable Care Act over the next four years, you need to be admitted yourself.

Rick Scott is going to dismantle as much of the safety net for Florida's poor as he can.  He figures they'll probably leave for other states and become somebody else's problem...while he pockets the difference.

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