Florida Governor Rick Scott wants to work with the federal government on reducing the cost of healthcare.

But at the same time, he says the cost projections the state is using right now are sound.

“Healthcare programs always cost more than what anybody ever anticipated, not 5% more, 10% more or multiples more,” Scott told you today on Jacksonville’s Morning News.

At issue specifically is the cost of expanding Medicaid.  The Governor says that will cost Florida $26 billion.  The figure has come under fire, however, for being too large.

Scott says the state is working with the projections it has right now, and that the agencies questioning the figure are also working off projections and assumptions like him.

He says he wants the state to be prepared for the worst of what could happen, but that he does want to bring healthcare to all Floridians.

“We can’t have an adverse impact on the access to healthcare in our state, the quality of healthcare in our state, or the cost of healthcare in our state,” he says.

He says funding the expansion comes at a cost to some other branch that needs money, and that Florida has to be smart about the choices it makes with this funding.