Region's health leaders pleased with Gov. Scott's Medicaid policy shift

NAPLES — Southwest Florida health-care leaders are pleased Gov. Rick Scott will accept federal money to expand Medicaid coverage to nearly 1 million or more Floridians, although most tip-toed Thursday around what motivated the governor’s change of heart.

“It had been rumored in Tallahassee for a couple of weeks he was moving in this direction,” said Sally Jackson, director of government relations for the Lee Memorial Healthcare System in Lee County.

Scott’s announcement Wednesday that he would go along with expanding Medicaid came on the same day the federal government gave Florida the go-ahead to move Medicaid beneficiaries into managed-care plans.

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