Letter to the Honorable Rick Scott, Governor of the State of Florida - Murphy, Florida Democrats Call On State To Do Its Part In Fighting Zika

Letter

Thank you for your recent efforts to convince Republican congressional leaders to provide full funding to tackle the Zika crisis. With more than 220 cases in Florida and, tragically, the first baby affected by Zika-related microcephaly born in Florida this week, the need for immediate congressional action could not be more clear. Given your interest in the issue, we have two suggestions for how your administration could do its part to fight Zika.

Expand Medicaid. As you are well aware, over 1.2 million Floridians have no access to affordable health care because your administration has failed to expand Medicaid. On June 1, the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services issued guidance to all states on the use of Medicaid funds to prevent, detect, and respond to the Zika virus, including coverage for mosquito repellent. Unfortunately, working Florida citizens in the Medicaid gap will be unable to access this very basic preventative measure, along with routine health care screenings and emergency care. Additionally, because the state has foregone $5.9 billion in Medicaid funding in FY2016 alone, many community health centers and county departments of health lack the funding resources to meet the needs of low-income Floridians once local Zika transmission occurs. Join the overwhelming majority of Floridians -- including patient advocates, community and religious leaders, business groups, health care providers and plans, and economists -- and accept existing federal dollars to strengthen Medicaid for Florida.

End the War on Women. We find it incomprehensible that your administration would move forward with restricting Medicaid and Title X family planning dollars to health care providers that offer comprehensive reproductive care, including Planned Parenthood. Because the Zika virus can be sexually transmitted and is known to cause microcephaly and other severe birth defects, the urgent need for family planning could not be more clear. As Zika threatens public health in our state, your administration's crusade against women's health will exacerbate the problem. According to the New England Journal of Medicine, states that have blocked Title X and Medicaid funding for Planned Parenthood are seeing significant reductions in the use of birth control and increases of unintended pregnancies. While any individual can contract Zika, pregnant women and women who may become pregnant are the most vulnerable. We urge you in the strongest possible terms to issue an emergency executive order to preserve thousands of Floridians' access to birth control, family planning, and other reproductive care through Title X and Medicaid.

With the devastating effects of the Zika virus already in our state and a possible vaccine still months or even years away from development, these actions are not only good policy but also the right thing to do. As we work to provide the State of Florida with full federal funding to address this crisis, we hope you will do your part before the crisis becomes insurmountable.