Having lost their legal fight, it is time now for Gov. Rick Scott, Attorney General Pam Bondi and legislative leaders to direct their influence toward helping our state carry out the Affordable Care Act to the benefit of millions of Floridians.

It is especially imperative that Gov. Scott stop the foot dragging and recognize that it is fiscally and morally irresponsible to refuse billions of dollars to provide health coverage to more low-income Floridians.

I believe it is a colossal abdication of Gov. Scott’s responsibility to prematurely reject provisions of the Affordable Care Act that would provide access to basic health care for Florida’s most-needy citizens. In addition, I urge Gov. Scott to be mindful of his harmful rhetoric. His recent repugnant and divisive remarks on the topic truly displays a lack of compassion, a lack of leadership and strikes me as a sickening political stunt at the expense of our state’s most vulnerable residents.

Lost in Gov. Scott’s insensitive statements in the wake of the ruling on the Affordable Care Act is an apparent failure to recognize that all Florida residents and businesses have an inherent stake in making sure there are good health outcomes for Floridians. The status quo only continues a costly reliance on hospital emergency rooms for treatment to the poor, which wastes resources and drives up costs for other consumers and businesses.

Gov. Scott’s defiance renders him incapable of recognizing that health insurance exchanges authorized under the Affordable Care Act embrace free market principles and promote personal responsibility by allowing consumers to comparison shop in purchasing health coverage.

On behalf of my colleagues in the Florida House Democratic Caucus and on behalf of many Floridians, I call on Gov. Scott to show leadership and end the political gamesmanship.

It is time for Gov. Scott to get to work and implement health care reform for Florida.

Rep. Perry Thurston, D-Plantation, is the Florida House Democratic Leader-designate.