Tampa Bay Times

By: Emily L. Mahoney

During last week’s final Florida governor’s debate between Republican Ron DeSantis and Democrat Andrew Gillum, an ugly back-and-forth over alleged ethical lapses grabbed headlines. It also overshadowed what might have otherwise been the news of the night: DeSantis announced he had uploaded his long-awaited health care plan to his campaign site. “The bottom line is we have to make it more affordable for people,” he told the audience. “We’re focusing on affordability like a laser.”

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Policy experts who took a closer look at DeSantis’ health care plan said it lacks a clear way to lower costs and would leave more people uninsured than Gillum’s proposal to expand Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act.

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“There’s nothing wrong with more transparency but knowing exactly how expensive it is does nothing to help Floridians who can’t afford their hypertension medications or a woman who gets diagnosed with breast cancer and needs life-saving treatment quickly,” said Joan Alker, a professor at Georgetown University who has published numerous reports about Florida health care policy. “Everyone already knows that health care is expensive,” she said.

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