U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson is trying to keep the political pressure on Florida Gov. Rick Scott to call a special session to expand Medicaid to 1 million low income people.
Nelson, a Democrat, has sent yet another email to Scott warning that the state could lose almost 122,000 jobs over the next ten years if the Legislature isn’t called back into session to expand the program as part of the Affordable Care Act by January.
“Earlier this month you traveled to Paris for an air show and while there announced a French firm would move to Florida over the next several years and create 40 jobs in our state. I congratulate you,” Nelson says in the email to Scott. “But, if you were to call a special session of the Legislature and urge state lawmakers to listen to the people and business leaders of Florida, the expansion of Medicaid alone could create 3,000 times that many jobs.”
Nelson also wrote Scott on the same issue in May.
Scott has advocated for the Legislature to expand Medicaid, but the Legislature refused. During an interview in Sarasota County last month, Scott put the blame at the feet of the Florida House.
“I said yes; the Senate said yes; the House said no,” Scott said. “So something has got to change.”
Scott and Nelson have been somewhat of pen pals of late. The two jousted recently in letters over using the National Guard during a hurricane emergency. Scott had sent a letter to Nelson and the rest of Florida’s delegation warning that because of sequestration, the ability to pull up the National Guard could be hindered. But Nelson wrote back saying he could active the National Guard and the cost of recalling furloughed soldiers would be reimburseable by FEMA.
Here’s Nelson’s full letter to Scott:
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