Thousands Sign Petitions Urging Governor Crist and Legislative Leaders to Save Healthcare Coverage for 40,000 ...(their healthinsurance and then suffer a ...),Health

"None of us can be assured that we will not need this program one day, through no fault of our own," Carvalho said.

"Cutting or reducing these programs will create human tragedy after tragedy, as many of these patients will be placed in life-threatening situations," he said. "On top of that, when you consider that our state stands to forfeit tens of millions in federal matching funds, what this adds up to is not only hurtful, but represents a bad business decision by the State of Florida."

All Floridians will be impacted by the Legislature's Medicaid cuts, Carvalho said. Local communities will be forced to raise local indigent care taxes. More sick people will crowd into emergency rooms, increasing the amount of free care that hospitals are forced to provide and raising the cost of healthcare for everyone else. Additionally, health premiums will increase, making Florida businesses less competitive and adding to the ranks of the state's uninsured, Carvalho said.