It's Crist vs. the House on uninsured
At a news conference with medical experts, Gov. Charlie Crist on Thursday emphasized the need for the House to follow the Senate's lead and pass his plan for a "market-driven" approach to finding affordable health coverage for the uninsured.
The House will consider a bill (HB 7081) that mixes Crist's "Cover Florida" proposal with its own separate program that includes a $1-million appropriation for a new corporation, Florida Health Choices, to manage the new initiative. Crist said the corporation is unnecessary but declined to say whether he would veto the bill, sponsored by Republican Rep. Aaron Bean, if it reached his desk.
"I'm all for oversight," Crist said. "I'm not sure we need to spend an additional million dollars to do what they can do very well themselves."
UPDATE: House Speaker Marco Rubio says the goal is to pass a bill with both Crist's ideas and Bean's. In what sounded like a dig at Crist's call for his plan only, Rubio said: "This place always works better when it's a two-way street. So that's what we're going to try to accomplish in the last two weeks of session."
From the writers of the St. Petersburg Times, The Buzz offers the latest news in Florida politics. This is a public forum sponsored and maintained by the St. Petersburg Times. When you post comments here, what you say becomes public and could appear in the newspaper. You are not engaging in private communication with candidates or Times staffers.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ob_MtOA5Z8k
Posted by: voice of angel | April 17, 2008 at 11:06 AM
Said on the news this morning that someone finally noticed the elephant in the living room. Presidential candidate John McCain had the courage to point out the problem with health care is that it just plain costs too much and is bleeding Americans dry - insurance or not. Remember when Nader shined the spotlight on $300 hammers and $1000 toilet seats a few years back? The time for putting the brakes on runaway health care costs is now.
Posted by: Buzzard | April 17, 2008 at 03:31 PM
Most who can afford $150 for health insurance already have insurance. Crist's plan does not cover the tens of thousands of Floridians who work minimum wage, are homeless, or who cannot otherwise afford it, such as distressed property owners.
I'd move to Japan, where the mortality rate is lower, and the health care better and far cheaper than in the U.S., but I can't afford it. What will Crist do to HELP THOSE WHO NEED health insurance?
Posted by: *uck Crist | April 23, 2008 at 03:56 PM