Florida
Related: About this forumWill Weatherford's dad says Medicaid helped family
TALLAHASSEE In outlining his opposition to expanding Medicaid on Tuesday, Florida House Speaker Will Weatherford told an emotional story about how his family relied on existing safety nets to provide health care for his 13-month-old brother.
"Peter lost his battle with cancer, and my father found himself with a mountain of medical bills that he could never afford to pay," Weatherford told lawmakers on the floor of the House of Representatives. "It was the safety net that picked my father up. It was the safety net that picked my family up."
He left out one detail: the name of the safety net.
According to his father, it was Medicaid.
The federal-state health care program for the poor covered more than $100,000 in Peter's medical costs, Weatherford's father told the Times/Herald.
"There was no way I could pay that," said Bill Weatherford, 62, when reached by phone in Odessa.
The House speaker, asked later, said Medicaid did not help cover his brother's hospital bills and that he thinks his father was mistaken. He said he would look into the matter.
"I don't know the specifics of what happened," said Weatherford, who was 15 when his brother died in 1995. "I know my brother had cancer, I know we were uninsured, and I know they weren't able to pay their bills."
Weatherford, a Republican from Wesley Chapel, mentioned Medicaid in his opening day speech to lawmakers only when speaking abstractly about his opposition to expanding it.
http://www.tampabay.com/news/health/medicaid-provided-safety-net-for-will-weatherfords-family-he-opposes/2107236
I kind of liked Will Weatherford. He is around my age and I thought he was a nice guy. Not no more!
hay rick
(7,624 posts)Weatherford keeps changing his story. Most recent version here: http://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/news/state-regional-govt-politics/weatherford-safety-net-changes-again-help-came-fro/nWjbs/
Weatherford now opposes expanding Medicaid to 138 percent of the poverty level, a position at odds with fellow Republican Gov. Rick Scott, who supports expansion under the federal Affordable Care Act.
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A Weatherford staffer later told The Palm Beach Post that Weatherford, after checking with his father, believed medical professionals, basically, had written-off the familys costs.
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Further review by his family showed Wednesday that it was Medically Needy that helped, Weatherford said. Medically Needy is a federal/state program that is optional for the state and has been frequently targeted for elimination by lawmakers but has endured.
Orlandodem
(1,115 posts)He is the worst kind of politician because he doesn't appear extreme but HE IS!
The fact that he had you liking him is scary. That means he is a great guy in the eyes of the uninformed.
hay rick
(7,624 posts)Cerabino is entertaining, as usual.