Legislators Wasting Medicaid Money While Disabled Receive Budget Cuts

A few state legislators are blocking efforts to save hundreds of millions of dollars in the annual state budget without anyone actually feeling the pinch.

According to the state agency responsible for looking at Florida’s budget, if restrictions to nurse practitioner and optometrists’ practice were removed, the state would save hundreds of millions of dollars annually with a good portion of that savings going to Medicaid. But organized medicine is donating heavily into the coffers of legislators who are in a position to stop these proposed changes.

Organized medicine is a generous contributor into many campaigns. They have  gone on the record numerous times opposing removal of restrictions on nurse practitioners and optometrists, ignoring the findings of an  Institute of Medicine (IOM)report, three taxpayer funded studies and calling these professionals dangerous.

The IOM report called for removal of these practice restrictions and declared nurse practitioners (NPs) highly qualified safe providers with care outcomes equal to that of physicians. Likewise the Federal Trade Commission issued an opinion this March that urged Florida law makers to remove restrictions to NP practice to improve competition, increase access and drive down costs of health care.

Senator Bennett has tried to introduce amendments to remove the restrictions to nurse practitioners and optometrists. He rightly has said Florida could increase access to care and reduce costs at the same time. But Senator Gaetz had one of the amendments thrown out on a rule technicality.  Another bill that would have addressed tort reform and removed these restrictions received enormous pressure on legislators from organized medicine, effectively killing the bill.

But this makes no sense. Why are certain legislators, including Senator Gaetz,  blocking bills that would improve access to high quality safe care and save the state almost half  a billion dollars annually?

Especially since Senator Gaetz recently spoke to the Governor about concerns over the disabled not getting care due to budget cuts. Senator Gaetz rightly requested that any state agencies with unspent balances on their budgets send their extra money to the state fund for the disabled. But he continues to block bills that would do just that.