Rick Scott's shifting stance On Obamacare's Medicaid expansion, in his own words

[^_^ 5,021]

Jan. 18, 2011: "It's going to cause rationing of care. It's going to hurt patients. They know that we can't pay for it from a tax standpoint. It's hurting our budget in our state with Medicaid. It's almost a third of our budget now."

-- on FOX Business Channel (via Nexis)

Feb. 15, 2011: "They're going to create a lot of dependency for Medicaid and then they're going to pull the rug out from under Floridians ... Floridians are fed up with this. They're fed up with the federal government telling us what to do, making us more dependent on federal dollars and then changing the rules. They need to just give us a block grant, let us spend the money the way we want to do it."

-- on FOX News Channel

March 23, 2011: "The law also threatens Florida's state budget. A study by the Cato Institute's Jagadeesh Gokhale estimates Florida will have to increase its Medicaid spending by 11 percent in 2014 and by 24 percent over the next 10 years -- a $24 billion unfunded mandate. This is money we do not have."

-- "ObamaCare: It's one year too many," Tampa Bay Tribune op-ed

...

July 1, 2012: "ince Florida is legally allowed to opt out, that's the right decision for our citizens."

-- governor's office press release

July 2, 2012: "Government health care programs, everywhere in the world, do three things: They promise you the world, they say, 'Oh, we're going to cover everything.' Then what they do is they run out of money and they underpay hospitals, doctors, and guess what happens? They don't want to take care of you ... If you care about patients, this is devastating for you."

-- on FOX News Channel (via Politico)

Sept. 13, 2012: "But even if Obamacare is never repealed, its ultimate fate will be determined by those states that reject the Medicaid expansion. States that opt in will be compared to those that opt out, and Americans will be able to see the difference between responsible governance and rampant spending. I am confident Florida will succeed where other states fail. The result will be more financial flexibility to provide tax cuts or fund programs that deliver proven results ...The federal government still hasn't learned that you shouldn't spend money you don't have."

-- "More Medicaid? No Thanks," The American Spectator op-ed

Jan. 7, 2013: "Growing government, it's never free. It always costs money. What we're talking about here with this Medicaid expansion is doubling the number of Medicaid recipients ... As you expand something, you can't undo it."

-- interview with reporters in Washington

Feb. 20, 2013: "This country is the greatest in the world and it's greatest largely because of how we value the weakest among us. Quality health care should be accessible and affordable for all Floridians. It shouldn't depend on your zip code or your tax bracket. No mother or father should despair over whether they have access to high-quality health care for their sick child.

"While the federal government is committed to paying 100 percent of the cost, I cannot, in good conscience, deny Floridians that need it access to health care. We will support a three-year expansion of our Medicaid program under the new health care law, as long as the federal government meets their commitment to pay 100 percent of the cost during that time."

-- press conference in Tallahassee

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/02/25/rick-scott-obamacare-quotes_n_2756006.html?ncid=edlinkusaolp00000003

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

Rick Scott: "I believe in a different approach, but regardless of what I believe, or anyone else, a Supreme Court decision and the election last November made the president's health care decision the law of the land,"

The long and short of it is that he's up for re-election in 2014. That's why Medicaid gets expanded in FL and that's why he now wants teachers to get raises and school districts to get more money and all that which he has thus far opposed. Since Florida went for Obama in November, Rick is a changed man.