Thanks to thousands of concerned Floridians and 1199SEIU Florida members who have taken action online, one the phones and in the community, healthcare expansion for more than 1,000,000 hardworking Floridians overwhelmingly passed the Florida Senate on Tuesday with bipartisan support (only one senator voted against it).



However, Florida House Republican leaders are blocking the expansion.



"I wish we could claim victory right now, but extreme members of the Florida House are blocking real healthcare expansion," said Monica Russo, executive vice president of 1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East. "And if they get their way, $51 billion of our federal tax dollars set aside for healthcare in Florida will be sent to other states."



Doctors, healthcare workers and other concerned Floridians took action at the Florida Capitol this week calling on Florida Governor Rick Scott to put pressure on Florida House Republican leaders who are blocking healthcare expansion.



Vera Nelson, an Orlando nursing home caregiver and 1199 SEIU Florida member, was featured on the local news doing just that: Since Governor Scott came around to supporting Medicaid expansion, he hasn’t said one peep about the issue to his fellow Republicans in the Florida Legislature, and now with the 2013 legislative session ending on Friday, time is running out to convince House Republican leaders to drop their fiscally and morally irresponsible position to deny healthcare expansion for more than one million hardworking Floridians.



With the majority of Floridians on their side, as well as the hospital industry and business community, 1199SEIU Florida caregivers are continuing to lobby lawmakers until the final seconds of the 2013 legislative session.