FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — Eleven Republican governors, including Florida's Rick Scott, Louisiana's Bobby Jindal and Arizona's Jan Brewer want to meet with President Barack Obama to discuss the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA).
One topic would be ways to make expanding the Medicaid rolls and setting up online health exchanges more affordable for states with tight budgets.
The letter requesting the meeting comes after the Obama administration said Monday that states can do a partial Medicaid expansion but that they wouldn't get the three years of 100 percent federal funding provided under the law.
Scott had previously requested to meet with Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius to discuss his concerns that the law could burden state taxpayers.
Scott has been a vocal critic of PPACA, but he softened his position after the election, saying he's open to working with federal health officials to find a solution. But he's repeatedly expressed concerns about the potential costs to Florida taxpayers. Now he's one of several Republican governors who recently sent a letter asking for more flexibility in the laws so that states can tailor the programs to their individual needs.