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After a half day healthcare workshop, resistance to expanding healthcare remains strong in the Florida House, and as Mike Vasilinda tells us, the opposition may have as much to do with what’s in the bill as what it’s being called.

A handful of young professions delivered a petition with 13 thousand names supporting health care expansion to the House Speaker. 2nd year law student  Katharine Huddleston carried the petitions. “I’m actually one of the 300,000young Americans who are in the coverage gap” is what she said to the Speaker’s Chief of Staff.

It appeared to fall on deaf ears.

“When I was 21 years old I was diagnosed with psoriasis. It’s a chronic autoimmune condition. Although it doesn’t have a cure, with consistent, regular medication I can live a normal productive life” Huddleston said afterwards.

State Senator Denise Grimsley agrees that part of the problem is the name.

Q:”Do yo thing the debate would be different if it was called something other than Obamacare?”

“Probably”

Q:”Why do you say that?”

“I just think its very political.”

State Senator Don Gaetz (R-Niceville) didn’t mince words. “Well, Obamacare is the kryptonite word among us Republicans.”

Democrat Janet Cruz of Tampa says there is no question the name is a problem, but questions the reasoning. “Are we really going to get caught up in semantics here when we have eight hundred thousand people int he state of Florida that don;t go to the doctor?”

Meanwhile, A Senate Committee continued to make changes to the plan in an effort to meet objections in the House…

And while House Speaker Steve Crisifulli didn’t use the phrase ObamaCare, he did say this: “You know there’s  a saying if it walks like a duck, quacks like a duck, its a duck. It’s Medicaid expansion”

The apparent agreement for this special session was that the House would at least give the health care plan a vote on the floor. That’s scheduled for Friday.

The Senate would need all 39 House Democrats and 22 Republicans to pass the health care expansion.

A state economist told Senators their FIHX plan would save the state more than a billion dollars over ten years. The House and Governor have said the plan amounts to a tax increase.