Amid widespread health care reform in Florida and a heated national health care debate, both Republicans and Democrats worry about potential changes to the Florida health care system. Florida Democrats, who are in favor of health care reform efforts, worry that an up-and-coming GOP Senate candidate may pose a serious threat to the quality of the Florida health care system.
Republican Marco Rubio has, until now, not appeared to pose a serious threat to health care reform in Florida. However, as the Republican candidate continues to build support for his nomination to the GOP Senate seat, Democrats are growing increasingly concerned about what Rubio might do if elected to office. Most importantly, Democrats worry that Rubio will repeal Florida health reforms if he is elected.
That’s no wonder; Rubio has said himself that he plans to repeal Florida health insurance reforms if he wins the Senate seat. That repeal, he said, could mean decreasing health costs for Florida residents and improving health care accessibility for all. The Democrats, however, don’t see it the same way, and are calling Rubio “nothing more than a typical politician who is in the hands of the health industry,” said Eric Jotkoff, Florida Democratic Party spokesman.
According to Jotkoff and a press release issued by the Florida Democratic party, if Rubio does indeed have an alliance with Florida insurance companies, as the Democrats suspect, Florida residents will have to pay more for their healthcare than ever before. Moreover, such an alliance would increase the federal budget, reduce health care access, and create financial difficulties for many Florida residents participating in the Medicare pr