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Fla. Gov. Rick Scott takes on Affordable Care Act

(CBS News) Florida Governor Rick Scott, an outspoken opponent of President Obama's health care law, said he's focused on jobs so people in his state can afford insurance, and will not comply with the Affordable Care Act.

Thursday on "CBS This Morning," Scott said he opposes a Medicaid expansion, because he said, Medicaid is growing at three-and-a-half times the state's general revenue and it's making it difficult for the state to fund K-12 education.

"We're already struggling," Scott said. "If you talk to the citizens, they want a job, they want to make sure their kids can get a great education. Every time we expand Medicaid, we make it more difficult to fund our education system, which is very important to our citizens."

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The problem with Obama's health care plan, Scott said, is that it "doesn't deal with the core issue," which he said is reducing the cost of health care. "Make sure people know what things cost in health care," he said. "Give people more choice. Make sure that individuals get the same tax breaks as employers so you own your own policy, reward people for taking care of themselves. Those are the things we ought to be doing and the things we're going to be doing in Florida."

"The most important thing is working on getting everybody a job. We still have 800,000 people out of work. But we've had a dramatic drop in unemployment. That's the most important thing we do," Scott said. "And then make sure the industry focuses on reducing cost. Look at how you can, through competition, drive down the cost. Make sure you allow people to buy the insurance they want to buy. Those are the things that are going make it easier for people to get insurance - not a federal program that they're not going to be able to afford and we can't afford as taxpayers of this state."

Scott reacted to claims by both the Orlando Sentinel and PolitiFact he's exaggerated or overstated the projected costs of Medicaid.

"If you look at the Wall Street Journal, I think their article I think on Tuesday, they said for the first six years it would cost the state $1.2 to $2.5 billion. Cost the federal government $20 to $25, I think, billion dollars," Scott said. "It depends on what number you want to use, how fast it will be implemented. The truth is, it's a lot of money. Whatever the number is, it's a lot of money. We're already struggling."

For more with Scott on the upcoming election and what he thinks of President Barack Obama and presumptive GOP nominee Mitt Romney have to offer his state, watch the video in the player above.

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