Florida Governor Rick Scott, who owns Solantic, an urgent care center chain that offers drug screens, has ordered random drug testing for state employees and applicants.
This comes on the heels of Scott’s last plan, which would push Medicaid recipients into private HMOs:
Scott’s budget would curb growth in Medicaid spending, the state-federal safety net insurance program, by requiring most recipients to join private HMOs. Solantic accepts Medicaid HMO reimbursements, but not state Medicaid, so adding clients could broaden the clinics’ customer base.
Scott’s Cato-based health advisor also wants healthcare to come in the form of vouchers that they could use to pay for direct medical care or to buy insurance. One might think that this benefits Scott, since those vouchers will be used at his clinics while insurance often limits their use, but Solantic co-founder Karen Bowling will set you straight:
Bowling said Floridians can count on Scott to do the right thing. His push to privatize government-provided health is born of deep personal conviction, not out of any designs to benefit Solantic, she said.
As long as what you know in your heart benefits big business, it’s OK to have those kinds of deep personal convictions.