With the Florida Senate confirming Governor DeSantis’s disastrous pick for the head of AHCA, Florida Republicans have joined Governor DeSantis in promoting partisanship over the health of Florida’s families. In response to the alarming news that ‘Mary Mayhem’ was confirmed, Terrie Rizzo, chair of the Florida Democratic Party issued the following statement:

“Mary Mayhew will cause mayhem to Florida’s health care system.

“With Mayhew at the helm of Florida’s Agency for Health Care Administration, Governor DeSantis has put people’s health care at risk. The destruction left in Mayhew’s wake from her time in Maine should have disqualified her to run Florida’s Medicaid program. The Governor and GOP led legislature have taken a stand against the health and safety of Florida families with their support of Mary Mayhew.”

What Florida can look forward to with Mary Mayhew at the helm of AHCA:

• Mayhew pushed tough restrictions on Maine’s Medicaid programs –– taking away health care for 70,000 people.
• Mayhew wanted a federal waiver for Medicaid to have work requirements, monthly premiums, and enact a $20 fee for “inappropriate emergency room use.
• Mayhew was so destructive, Maine’s infant mortality rate climbed while she was in charge, and the state’s health ranking dropped from 8th in the nation to 23rd.
• ‘Mary Mayhem’, as many in Maine referred to her, as head of Maine’s Department of Health and Health Human Services (DHHS) she “led the assault on Maine’s welfare supports” and was so successful the state now ranks third in the country for experiencing hunger.
• The Miami New Times reported that “Mayhew’s DHHS failed to investigate the deaths of 133 disabled Medicaid recipients and also did not report hundreds of cases of sexual assault of the disabled to law enforcement.”