Tuesday July 10: We Want Our Health Coverage, Governor Scott

By Sylvia Gurinsky

As Florida Gov. Rick Scott and others (Texas Gov. Rick Perry among them) do their best George Wallace-at-the-schoolhouse-door imitations on not enforcing the health care law, perhaps a lesson from the classic television show "The West Wing" would be persuasive to Floridians, if not the man who is supposed to lead them.

It comes from a first-season episode, "Mr. Willis of Ohio." One of the subplots features Donna Moss (Janel Moloney), faithful assistant to Deputy Chief of Staff Josh Lyman (Bradley Whitford), pressing her boss on the budget surplus (Remember when there was a budget surplus, both real and fictional?).

"I want my money," Donna repeats throughout the episode. None of Josh's reasons moves her from her position.

Thanks to Aaron Sorkin's writing, Josh's logic made sense, but so did Donna's argument. Scott's rationale for not implementing the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act makes no sense.

Scott refuses to even do the most simple part: Setting up a registry through which consumers can determine the best and most cost-effective insurance, and purchase it.

A cynic might suggest that Scott is trying to protect his buddies in the health care industry as much as he's trying to score tea party points.

A realist could suggest Scott will further bankrupt the state with his refusal to participate and Florida probably will wind up in more costly lawsuits because of this.

But the rest of us, millions of Floridians, will say something for which Donna Moss would be proud:

Governor Scott, we want our health coverage. We want our health insurance access. Either cooperate, or get out of our way.