Bush plan for Medicaid faces major challenge (Jeb)

[Judi Lynn]

Bush plan for Medicaid faces major challenge

By John Kennedy
Tallahassee Bureau
Posted February 6 2005

TALLAHASSEE · Rocked by scandals and shoddy results, Gov. Jeb Bush's drive to turn over many state services and millions of taxpayer dollars to private companies appears certain to be slowed by the state's newly minted Republican leaders.

House Speaker Allan Bense of Panama City and Senate President Tom Lee of Brandon say they will put the brakes on privatization efforts this year, a sudden shift away from what has been a cornerstone of Florida government since Bush took office six years ago.

For the governor, the move also may darken prospects for his latest major initiative -- a dramatic plan to overhaul Medicaid by giving private managed-care companies more control of health coverage for 2.3 million poor, elderly and disabled Floridians.

"What the governor has talked about for Medicaid is big and ambitious, but we want to be careful and very sure about what we create because we know it's going to be in our laps if it fails," said Sen. Jeff Atwater, R-North Palm Beach, vice chairman of a Senate Medicaid panel.
(snip/...)

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/southflorida/sfl-fprivate06feb06,0,6089474.story?coll=sfla-home-headlines

[Dudley_DUright]

1. It is a sad day in FL when we have to rely on

slightly less insane republicans to protect us from Jeb's totally insane ideas. The democrats barely even rate a mention in news stories anymore.