The research division of the Missouri Department of Economic Development says Medicaid expansion in Missouri would create nearly 24,000 jobs, $9.9-billion in new wages and $14.6-billion in new Gross State Product between 2015 and 2022.
The report from the Missouri Economic Research and Information Center (MERIC) says expanding Medicaid eligibility for adults who earn up to 138 percent of the federal poverty level would also generate $402-million in new state general revenue over that period.
Republican leadership in the legislature has not been supportive of expanding Medicaid but at least some Republicans favor reforming the program, or a combination of expansion and reform.
A proposal was filed by Representative Noel Torpey (R-Independence) this week that would extend Medicaid coverage to adults with incomes below the federal poverty level and, Torpey says, would help people making between the poverty level and 138 percent of the poverty level buy private insurance on the federal exchange.
That proposal would also require working-age adult Medicaid recipients to have or be pursuing a job or be pursuing an education.