The 2014 Florida gubernatorial race is on, and Gov. Rick Scott is looking to return to Tallahassee for a second term.  One of the big issues that Scott will have to deal with is expansion of Medicaid in Florida.

When Scott was in Washington recently, he was asked about Medicaid expansion. Scott told reporters he was in favor of limited Medicaid expansion.

PolitiFact has been keeping track of Scott's positions and statements and then evaluates them with a graphic called a Flip-O-Meter. PolitiFact reporter Josh Gillin says Scott's statement earns him a FULL FLOP. Gillin says that Scott's original position was well defined.

"When Rick Scott was campaigning for governor, he told people he was against the Affordable Care Act, and as part of that, he was also against Medicaid expansion," Gillin said. "When you compare that to his recent statements, he's done a pretty good flip of positions."

According to Gillin, the change in position dates back to 2012, when the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that states did not have to participate in Medicaid expansion, and as a result, would not face financial penalties from the federal government for not participating. 

At that time, Scott had no interest in expanding Medicaid in Florida. Eight months later, Scott told reporters he was against setting up an exchange, but he would be open to running a three-year trial expansion of Medicaid that would allow the state to judge whether or not such an expansion would work in Florida.

During those eight months, Scott's mother had died, and when Scott proposed a trial run of Medicaid expansion, he said that the death his own mother gave him a new perspective. Gillin says Scott's change  drew fire from the Tea Party, which labeled Scott "the Benedict Arnold to the patriot and tea party movement in Florida."

The 2013 Florida Legislature did not take up the Medicaid expansion debate, and Medicaid did not expand in Florida.

Gillin says that there is a clear change in Scott's statements.  Scott was adamantly against Medicaid expansion in 2010 and 2012, but was for a limited trial run expansion of Medicaid in 2013 and 2014.  That position change earns Scott a FULL FLOP from PolitiFact.

 

SOURCES:  RICK SCOTT AND MEDICAID EXPANSION