Charlie Crist Medicaid Veto

Governor Charlie Crist cites his reasons for vetoing the Medicaid bill.

However, this legislation also includes some alarming provisions: the elimation of consumer protections and provider accountablity for behavioral health services; the requirement that certain brand name drugs are used instead of even more cost-effective generic drugs; provider rate increases above and beyond the $218 million already given to providers in the 2007 session; and the delayed implementation of Medicaid reform.

Even more disturbing is the fact that many of these provider-driven provisions were not discussed in an open forum but were, instead, added to the billat the last minute without a proper hearing. Our representative democracy demands that legislation with impacts on the lives of Florida's most vulnerable citizens be debated in a deliberative and transparent forum.

Republicans keep pushing government to spend tax dollars on the most expensive drugs. Let's do away with this nonsense that the GOP is the fiscally consevative party.