Five-year-old Abby Muszynski was born with a brain malformation that causes seizures and respiratory failure. http://www.cnn.com/2016/11/28/health/health-care-refugees-part-1/
Abby’s family is leaving Florida to get her proper health care. The Muszynskis’ older high school aged children will be left behind. Why are they doing this? Because Florida’s Medicaid program will not pay for Abby’s treatment. This dates back to the Governor’s decision not to accept Medicaid expansion funds under the Affordable Care Act. So, the family will move to a State where the government does not foreclose Abby’s treatment because of politics. They will hope that further changes in law and disruptions in the healthcare delivery system do not harm Abby wherever they choose to go.
When asked about Abby’s case, the Governor’s spokesperson said “The state has done everything in its power to support this family.” Mallory McManus, communications director for Florida’s Agency for Health Care Administration, the agency that administers the state’s Medicaid program, wrote in an email that “Our number one priority has always been — and remains — insuring health care services are available to all Floridians, especially children.”
These false words ring hollow for Abby. As discussed in the prior blog post (http://thethompsonlawfirm.net/data-breach-patients-rights-revolution/), the constant and dramatic flux in our healthcare delivery systems created by politicians in concert with industry leaders causes inconsistent application and harms the most vulnerable, including the sick and elderly.
The next blog will outline in detail how Governor Scott has worked throughout his career to make access to healthcare for consumers more costly and difficult to obtain. As ever, understanding the environment where you access healthcare affects the quality of the care you receive and the outcome of your personal injury case.
