The Florida Agency for Health Care Administration late tonight released estimates that show a House alternative to expanding Medicaid would cost slightly more than $2 billion in state general revenue over 10 years, reports the News Service of Florida.
The House plan, which was unveiled last week, would provide $2,000 annual subsidies to help low-income people buy health coverage. It rejects the possibility of drawing down billions of dollars in federal Medicaid money under the federal Affordable Care Act and would offer the subsidies to targeted groups of people whose incomes are at or below 100 percent of the federal poverty level. Under the House plan, people above 100 percent of the poverty level could get separate federal subsidies to buy coverage through a new health insurance exchange.
The AHCA estimates indicate the state would spend more in general revenue on the House plan than it would on a Senate alternative, which would rely on the Medicaid money to help people up to 138 percent of the poverty level buy private health insurance.
