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Healthy State tells the stories you need to know to stay well, with a special focus on Florida.We'll bring you the latest fitness trends, new research on preventing and treating disease, and information about how health policy impacts your pocketbook.We report on health using all the tools at our disposal -- video, audio, photos and text -- to bring these stories to life.Healthy State is a project of WUSF Public Media in Tampa and is heard on public radio stations throughout Florida. It also is available online at wusfnews.org.

House Committee Rejects Medicaid Expansion

Florida House of Representatives

A Florida House committee on the Affordable Care Act said today Florida should not accept billions of dollars in federal funds to expand Medicaid coverage to nearly 1 million uninsured residents under the new federal health law.

The House committee voted along party lines this afternoon against Medicaid expansion. Naples Republican Matt Hudson says he doesn't believe the federal government will actually pay for the cost of the expansion.

“The federal  government has had a challenge almost every single day over the last six months, yet somehow we're to believe that they'll be rock solid, nothing will change for a decade,” Hudson said.

The vote came hours after the state's chief economist said the expansion was the right thing for Florida to do.

For more on the impact of the vote against Medicaid expansion, visit HealthNewsFlorida.org.  

3-4 medicaid 2way.mp3
Click here to listen to Health News Florida's Carol Gentry tell WUSF's Steve Newborn just what happened during the House panel discussion - and what it means to Medicaid expansion in Florida.

Lottie Watts was our Florida Matters producer from 2012 to 2016. She also covers health and health policy for WUSF's Health News Florida .
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