title:  More Proof That Rick Scott’s Policies Are Completely F*cking Florida’s Working Poor (IMAGE)
text: In 2015, Florida s government almost shut down when a battle erupted between the Republican House and the Republican Senate. GOP Senators were fighting to have Medicaid expanded to cover more than 800,000 Floridians, but the House was not interested. Ultimately, nearly a million women, men and children were denied health insurance in the state. It was a huge victory for Governor Rick Scott and right-wing members of the House of Representatives. However, their victory has done nothing to help the people of the state, and now the United States Census Bureau has released data that proves just how much the citizens could have used that expansion.According to Census data, nearly half of the counties in Florida have high uninsured rates. Of the state s 67 counties, 29 of them uninsured rates of 20 percent or higher. The Associated Press reports:The counties, which are largely located in central and South Florida, have uninsured rates of at least 20 percent or higher according to 2014 data released by the Census Bureau.The urban counties of Orange, Miami-Dade and Broward were among those on the list.DeSoto County, a rural county in the state s interior, had the highest estimated uninsured rate at 30.8 percent.Screenshot via census.govWhile the state s citizens are forced to suffer without insurance thanks to the legislature s refusal to expand Medicaid, lawmakers are the recipients of heavily subsidized health insurance:The monthly cost per legislator: $180 a month for a family, or $2,160 a year, and $50 a month, or $600 a year, for individuals. That s only a fraction of the average monthly family premium paid by most Floridians   $1,347   according to data tabulated by the Kaiser Family Foundation, a nonprofit that focuses on health care issues.Isn t that nice? Florida is the perfect example of how Republican policies screw over the average citizen. The GOP believes that health insurance is not a right that should be afforded to everyone and meanwhile, they benefit from taxpayer-funded health plans. They don t have to worry about how they will pay for a doctor visit if they get sick. They don t have to worry about forking over the full cost of medications. They do not live in fear of an illness bankrupting them. And while they live comfortably, they tell voters that Obama s Affordable Healthcare Act isn t working, but leave out the part about how they ve made sure the people in their state do not benefit from it in the same way blue states do. If Florida lawmakers would expand Medicaid, the uninsured rates would drop dramatically.If Florida lawmakers would expand Medicaid, the uninsured rates would drop dramatically. Unfortunately for Floridians, they are not doing it because then they d have to admit the program is working and it would take away one of their anti-Obama/Democrat talking points.Featured image via Joe Raedle/Getty Images