For Immediate Release

Tuesday, March 10, 2015

Contact
Sarah Bascom, sarah@bascomllc.com, 850.294.6636
Lyndsey Cruley, lyndsey@bascomllc.com, 850.524.5006

AIF Applauds Senate Committee on Health Policy for Approving the

Florida Health Insurance Affordability Exchange
Tallahassee, Fla. The Associated Industries of Florida (AIF) today released the following
statement attributable to Tom Feeney, president and CEO of AIF, applauding the Senate
Committee on Health Policy for passing SPB 7044, the Florida Health Insurance Affordability
Exchange (FHIX).
Today, the Florida Senate took a significant step forward on an issue with profound impacts on
Florida taxpayers, businesses and, ultimately, our economy. FHIX is a Florida-specific, fiscallyresponsible proposal, based upon the A Healthy Florida Works Plan, that would allow Florida to
draw down its share of federal funds to reform medical coverage for nearly one million
Floridians.
Right now, the cost of paying for uncompensated hospital care in our state is astronomical. In
2012, it totaled nearly $3 billion, and this cost has fallen on the shoulders of Florida families and
business owners. This system is expensive and inefficient, often resulting in poor patient
outcomes.
Florida House leaders have wisely pointed out the problems with an extension of traditional
Medicaid; as such, AIF has forcefully advocated for a Florida-designed, free-market, consumer
choice health care system, rather than have a draconian and bureaucratic, one-size-fits-all federal
scheme imposed upon us, and we feel the Senate proposing and having this policy discussion on
FHIX is an important start.
On behalf of AIF, I applaud the Senate for taking this step forward, as we believe that extending
health care coverage is the right thing to do for our state, our businesses and all Floridians.
For more information on AIF, please visit AIF.com and follow @VoiceofFLBiz.
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