Rick Scott claimed her 2013 death led to change of heart on supporting Medicaid expansion – then he privatized the program and is looking to further gut it

In 2013, Florida governor Rick Scott’s mother died. After her death, he went on television to announce that the emotional impact of her passing had led him to change his mind and support the Medicaid expansion contained within Barack Obama’s Affordable Care Act.

Now a news agency has claimed he was lying.

The Associated Press reported on Friday that Scott’s support for Medicaid expansion was what the agency described as a “ruse” in an attempt to convince the White House to grant a waiver to allow private companies to run the federally funded health insurance program for the poor in his state.

A spokesman for Scott said: “The AP incorrectly characterized the governor’s comments yesterday. The governor was asked by an AP reporter whether or not his support for Medicaid expansion in 2013 was a ‘lie’.

“Governor Scott answered the question by discussing that he came out in support of Medicaid expansion, only if it was fully federally funded, at the same time the federal government granted Florida a waiver to let the state reform its Medicaid system. Unfortunately, the AP editorialized the Governor’s statement.”

Scott, a former hospital executive whose company was fined a record $1.7bn for Medicare fraud, is reverting to his opposition to Medicaid expansion just as his state legislature has reached an impasse over the issue.

This flip-flop is considered much less surprising than Scott’s initial endorsement of Medicaid expansion. The Florida governor had run his self-funded 2010 campaign for the state house by focusing on his opposition to Obamacare. His initial reversal on the issue shocked the political world and led to whispers of a quid pro quo. However, Scott has since not taken any steps to actually implement Medicaid expansion, something that led to criticism by Democrats during his 2014 re-election campaign.

Florida legislators currently face a 30 June deadline before the state loses $2bn in federal healthcare funds for low-income residents under a program that will be discontinued. Although Medicaid expansion would close this funding gap, Scott’s reversal may force Florida legislators to consider other options.