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House Republicans appeared ready to reject the Senate's plan on Medicaid, arguing Thursday that it is essentially an expansion that relies on money from the president's health care overhaul. During a tense two-and-a-half hours of questions, House Republicans agreed the Senate plan was still a government entitlement program for "able-bodied adults" that would increase the federal deficit. House Speaker Steve Crisafulli said it was a "safe assumption" that the bill would be defeated on Friday. (6/4)

epublican House members kept up their resistance Thursday to a Senate plan to expand health coverage to the uninsured even as they moved closer to the Senate on a budget deal to avert a state government shutdown. A final vote on the health-care bill is expected Friday and will likely signal the end of the health care expansion debate, at least for this year. "Based on what we heard today I think it's a pretty safe assumption that there's not enough votes … here in the House," said House Speaker Steve Crisafulli, R-Merritt Island. ... Meanwhile, Crisafulli and his counterpart, Senate President Andy Gardiner, R-Orlando, who has led the fight for the health care expansion bill, have yet to agree to top-line budget numbers, the next step in budget negotiations. (Rohrer, 6/4)

The Florida House on Thursday began its consideration of the state Senate’s Medicaid expansion proposal, but the plan’s fate soon bubbled up like a Magic 8-ball answer: “Don’t count on it.” House sponsor Mia Jones, a Jacksonville Democrat, was cross-examined for nearly three hours by successive members of the Republican majority, who mostly teased out what they see as the plan’s flaws. Speaker pro tem Matt Hudson, a Naples Republican, pointed out that Medicaid already consumes nearly a third of the state’s $77 billion budget and questioned how much more it would cost under expansion. (Rosica, 6/5)

A report released Thursday morning by White House economists claims Medicaid expansion in Florida under the Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare, will cover 750,000 people by next year, boost the health and living standards of recipients and save the state $790 million in health costs by offering poor people preventative coverage instead of relying on more expensive emergency room care. This is not news to anyone who has been saying the state would save money by assisting the poor with their health care. It's just common sense. But now it's official, so who here is ready to admit they were wrong? (Rohrer, 6/4)