Search Results for: medicaid

Boonville hospital closing and Medicaid expansion emerge as issues in key Missouri Senate race (AUDIO)

November 2, 2020 By Brian Hauswirth

Both major parties are pouring money and resources into a mid-Missouri state Senate race, a race that could determine whether Republicans keep a veto-proof majority in that chamber.

The race features Senate Majority Leader Caleb Rowden, R-Columbia, and former State Rep. Judy Baker, D-Columbia.

The district covers Boone and Cooper counties, along the I-70 corridor. While Columbia and Boonville are the two major cities in the district, there are also numerous small towns and farms across the two counties.

Rowden, who served two terms in the Missouri House from 2013-2016, won the Senate seat in 2016 by defeating then-State Rep. Stephen Webber, D-Columbia. Rowden had 45,335 votes, to Webber’s 43,179. Rowden won the race by about two-and-a-half points.

The majority leader is the two number two position in the Missouri Senate. Rowden says serving as majority leader gives him a larger role in impacting the agenda.

“For me that’s making sure that we find a way to get past COVID, trying to find a way to make sure that small businesses have what they need on the back end of COVID, that’s going to be a challenge,” Rowden says. “Trying to make sure the budget situation is stable.”

Rowden also says transportation is huge in the district, noting the importance of an $81-million dollar federal grant to replace the aging I-70 Rocheport bridge. Rocheport is just west of Columbia.

More than 12 million vehicles cross the massive bridge annually, including three million trucks. The bridge connects Boone with Cooper county, across the Missouri River. The current bridge is more than 60 years old, and the state Department of Transportation (MoDOT) has said it’s in poor condition.

Judy Baker served two terms in the Missouri House, from 2005-2008. She left her House seat to run for an open U.S. House seat in 2008, narrowly losing that race to Blaine Luetkemeyer, R-St. Elizabeth, who’s now in his sixth term.

If elected to the Missouri Senate, Baker’s top priority is implementing and protecting Medicaid expansion, which was approved by Missouri voters in August.

“We just passed it (in August) and in this (senatorial) district, it passed with 62 percent of the vote. And my opponent, of course, has voted against it every time he could,” Baker says.

Medicaid expansion supporters say it will provide healthcare to Missourians who earn less than $18,000 annually.

This year’s closing of a hospital in Boonville has emerged as an issue in this race. Baker tells Missourinet that Pinnacle Regional Hospital in Boonville and some other hospitals would have been saved by Medicaid expansion.

“Those hospitals would have been able to stay in their communities, had they had some kind of revenue for the patients they were already seeing,” says Baker.

But Rowden tells Missourinet that the Boonville hospital closed because of mismanagement, saying hospital leaders in Boonville didn’t have the best interest of the community at heart. Rowden disagrees with Baker on Medicaid expansion.

“Well Medicaid expansion wouldn’t keep any rural hospital open, and there’s no data to back that up,” says Rowden. “I do think the infusion of federal dollars could have postponed the inevitable, in some cases.”

The Missouri Hospital Association says ten rural hospitals have closed in Missouri, since 2014.

Rowden and Baker are also clashing over the initial cost of Medicaid expansion, with Rowden saying it will cost $300 to $500 million in the first five years. He says the money has to come from somewhere, and doesn’t want it coming from Mizzou.

Baker says Medicaid expansion would be an economic boost to hospitals and to the towns that have hospitals, especially rural areas.

Republicans currently control the Senate 23-8, with three vacancies. Two of the three vacancies are in the heavily-Democratic Kansas City area, and one is in southeast Missouri, a GOP stronghold.

A veto-proof majority in the Missouri Senate is 23 Senate seats.

Democrats hope to unseat both Majority Leader Rowden and State Sen. Andrew Koenig, R-Manchester, on Tuesday. If that happens and if the other Senate races end up as expected, Republicans would have 22 seats, one short of a veto-proof majority.

Governor Mike Parson (R) noted the importance of Rowden’s seat, during a speech last week to supporters at Emery Sapp and Sons in Columbia. Parson spoke directly to the construction workers in the back of the room, saying “I need him,” referring to Senator Rowden.

Rowden’s other top priorities include protecting funding for Mizzou, as well as K-12 and other higher education funding.

Baker is also focused on the COVID pandemic, and says any economic recovery should be geared toward working families.

Click here to listen to Brian Hauswirth’s full interview with Missouri Senate Majority Leader Caleb Rowden, R-Columbia, which was recorded on October 28, 2020:

Click here to listen to Brian’s full interview with former State Rep. Judy Baker, D-Columbia, which was recorded in Columbia on October 29, 2020:

Governor on passage of Medicaid expansion: “The people voted for it. So we’re going to implement it”

August 6, 2020 By Alisa Nelson

By a slim 53% of the vote in Tuesday’s primary election, Missouri joins 37 other states and will expand Medicaid. Of Missouri’s 114 counties, 105 voted against adding another 230,000 low-income adults to government-funded healthcare.

Governor Mike Parson briefs Missouri Capitol reporters in Jefferson City on August 5, 2020 (photo courtesy of the governor’s Flickr page)

At a press conference Wednesday, Gov. Mike Parson, who opposed expansion, reacted to the ballot measure’s passage.

“The people voted for it we. So we’re going to implement it in the state of Missouri because that was the will of the voters. We just got to figure out – the big thing is where do you find the funding for it right now. You’re probably looking at $200 million or something like that off the bat,” says Parson. “So we’ve got to figure out where that funding is going to come from. Hopefully the economy gets better. Hopefully we can meet that financial obligation a little easier but right now it’s tough times.”

The measure allows the federal government to pick up about 90% of the state’s Medicaid costs while the state covers the other 10%. The projected cost of the expansion has quite the range – either an additional $200 million to the state or a savings of $1 billion.

“We’ll implement it,” says Parson. “We’re just going to have to find the money to be able to pay for it, but we’ll figure that out.”

Under Amendment 2, adults could qualify for government-funded healthcare if they earn up to about $18,000 annually or roughly $36,000 for a household of four.

Missouri becomes 38th state to expand Medicaid

August 5, 2020 By Alisa Nelson

Missouri voters have spoken. They want to join 37 other states that have expanded Medicaid.

About 53% voted during Tuesday’s primary election in favor of providing Medicaid to another 230,000 low-income adults. Roughly 47% of Missouri voters opposed the ballot measure.

The outcome highlights Missouri’s urban and rural divide. Of Missouri’s 114 counties, 105 voted against expansion.

Missouri becomes 38th state to expand Medicaid

Under Amendment 2, Missouri adults could qualify for government-funded healthcare if they earn up to about $18,000 annually or roughly $36,000 for a household of four. It allows the federal government to pick up about 90% of the state’s Medicaid costs while the state covers the other 10%. Currently, the federal government pays for about 65% and the state shells out the rest of the funding.

The clash between those for and against the proposal has been largely about the way the measure would affect the state’s piggy bank and the philosophical differences. The other message Republicans have been raising is the plan also changes the Missouri Constitution to force additional people onto Medicaid. The feature effectively blocks Republican lawmakers from adding conservative elements to the program, such as work requirements and premiums.

The projected cost of the expansion has quite the range – either an additional $200 million to the state or a savings of $1 billion.

The ballot measure requires Missouri to expand Medicaid by next July and formally notify the federal government by March 1.

Missouri primary election spotlight: Can the state afford to expand Medicaid?

August 3, 2020 By Alisa Nelson

A Medicaid expansion measure is one of the hot items at the ballot box in Tuesday’s primary election. Missouri voters will be asked whether to expand Medicaid to another 230,000 low-income adults. Currently, about 950,000 Missourians get government-funded healthcare. Under Amendment 2, Missouri adults earning up to $18,000 annually could qualify.

Missouri primary election spotlight: Can the state afford to expand Medicaid?

The clash between those for and against the plan has been largely about the way Medicaid expansion would affect the state’s bank account and philosophical contrasts. The messaging is very different depending on who you talk to.

During a statewide anti-expansion tour, State Treasurer Scott Fitzpatrick, a Republican, says the plan would cost the state another $200 million annually and would mean less money for other priorities.

“We fund prisons and if we want to close prisons and let violent criminals out of jail – that’s one option,” he says. “If we want to turn into Illinois and not fund our pension obligations – that’s another option and turn into a state with a junk credit rating. When you get down to it, one of the few discretionary items that we can decide how much money we’re going to spend without substantial consequences to the state is on education.”

Fitzpatrick, a former chairman of the House Budget Committee, says Missouri’s Medicaid obligations already make up about 40% of the state’s annual operating budget and it continues to grow each year.

“The state of Missouri already has a very generous Medicaid opportunities for families with children,” he says. “If you have a family and you have children and you are making less than 300% of the federal poverty level, which for a family of four is about $76,000, you can get your kids on Medicaid in the state of Missouri. If you are a pregnant woman and you need prenatal care and you don’t have access to health insurance and you are making less than 300% of the federal poverty level, you can get on Medicaid in the state of Missouri. The people that we are talking about, by and large expanding Medicaid to, are people who are working age, who are physically able to work and in many cases are choosing not to for whatever reason.”

State Representative Kip Kendrick, D-Columbia, insists the state would save money. Kendrick is the ranking Democrat on the House Budget Committee.

“Most states actually see a cost savings in the first year to two years and then that cost savings continues to grow,” Kendrick tells Missourinet affiliate KWIX in Moberly. “As more people come on, they tend to come on to that expanded role at a 90/10 (federal) match rather than a 60/40 (federal) match as you typically see in states that haven’t expanded. So, it’ll end up being cost savings for the state and provide greater access to healthcare and do a lot to shore up our hospitals and clinics around the state at a difficult time in the middle of a pandemic.”

A study by Washington University in St. Louis says Missouri would save about $39 million if the state expanded Medicaid. The analysis, done by the school’s Center for Health Economics and Policy, says the expansion would cost the state an estimated $118 million.

Sen. Bob Onder, R-Lake St. Louis, was also among a line of Republican legislators at the anti-expansion tour in Jefferson City.

“I would point out that the average Medicaid expansion state has seen cost overruns of 154%,” he says.

Onder, a practicing physician, says about 60% of the Medicaid expansion population already has private health insurance. If the ballot measure passes, he says they will be kicked off their insurance.

Gov. Mike Parson opposes the ballot measure and has the same financial stance as his Republican allies. During a press conference in May, Parson said the state budget is tough enough to handle with the coronavirus outbreak, let alone if Medicaid is expanded.

“There’s absolutely not going to be any extra money whatsoever,” says Parson. “Look, I don’t think it’s a time to be expanding anything in the state of Missouri right now. I’m telling you, we are going to have challenges going in to 2021 for sure when it comes to just meeting the budget with what we currently have.”

The Republican-leaning Missouri Chamber of Commerce says it backs the proposal that it says would lead to another 16,000 jobs per year for five years. Missourinet’s attempts to get the Chamber’s response about its support were not answered but in an initial statement expressing its position, President Dan Mehan called Amendment 2 a “pro-jobs measure” that will help fuel economic growth throughout our state.

“While this data makes a clear case for passing Amendment 2, the benefits of Medicaid expansion are even more significant during this time of economic hardship,” says Mehan.

Missouri Hospital Association spokesperson Dave Dillon tells Missourinet the healthcare group supports the expansion effort.

“It’s an important tool in getting people who need care some care and getting them comfortable with the idea of getting it when they need it. And that is to say that other parts of the Affordable Care Act were about keeping people healthy. You get paid – not necessarily for doing a procedure over and over again – but for the outcome of that procedure. To improve people’s health, requires you to put them in a system that you can help maintain their health. Medicaid can be that tool.”

Dillon agrees with the argument that Medicaid expansion is the vehicle for people who were never going to be able to afford to buy their own health insurance.

“But for us, if we’re going to set up a system of penalties for us not being able to keep individuals healthy – and by the way at the same time cost the healthcare system a lot more to treat in the wrong place at the wrong time – then we really need this as a tool in our tool belt to try to get those people to where if they need care for a chronic condition, if they are not even managing and don’t realize that they have diabetes, heart disease or the like, when they show up and need a stint or something really expensive, that’s an unnecessary cost. That’s a cost that we all bear because if that individual can’t pay for it, it’s going to be cost-shifted to people who can.”

He goes on to say the measure would save the entire healthcare system some money.

“There’s a hidden healthcare tax that everybody that’s got a commercial health insurance plan pays,” says Dillon. “That is attributable, in part, to the fact that we have a large number of uninsured and when they need care, they get it. They just don’t get it in an efficient place. They usually get it in the Emergency Department and then we have to write it off.”

Fitzpatrick, from southwest Missouri’s Shell Knob, says Medicaid expansion is billed as the “silver bullet” for struggling hospitals.

“I frankly don’t think that it is. I mean, it might help a little bit but frankly there are hospital systems out there that have problems that exceed what Medicaid expansion itself can solve.”

If Amendment 2 passes, Missouri would become the 38th state to expand government-funded healthcare coverage.

Polls are open Tuesday statewide from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Missouri’s state treasurer is warning against Medicaid expansion; both sides cite different numbers

July 26, 2020 By Brian Hauswirth

Missouri’s state treasurer and the House Budget Committee chairman will travel across the state on Monday, urging Missourians to vote against Medicaid expansion on the August ballot.

Missouri State Treasurer Scott Fitzpatrick speaks at a CARES Act funding working group on May 21, 2020 in Jefferson City (file photo courtesy of Tim Bommel at House Communications)

Medicaid, which is formally known as MO HealthNet, is a federal and state program that assists with medical costs for residents with limited incomes.

House Budget Committee Chairman Cody Smith, R-Carthage, tells Missourinet that Medicaid’s current budget is almost $12 billion for fiscal year 2021. The state’s current operating budget is about $35.2 billion.

Smith and State Treasurer Scott Fitzpatrick (R) will visit Joplin, Springfield, Kansas City, Creve Coeur, Cape Girardeau and Jefferson City on Monday. They’ll brief Capitol reporters immediately following the governor’s 3 pm press conference at the Statehouse.

Missourians will cast ballots on Amendment Two, the Medicaid expansion proposal, on August 4. If approved by voters, Medicaid would be expanded for residents between the ages of 19 and 64 with an income level at or below 133 percent of the federal poverty level, as set forth in the Affordable Care Act.

Medicaid expansion supporters say the measure would provide healthcare to Missourians who earn less than $18,000 annually.

Chairman Smith says the August Medicaid expansion ballot measure is projected to cost $200 million in state general revenue, and $1.8 billion in federal funding each year. He also says it will raise Missouri’s Medicaid rolls from 950,000 to more than 1.2 million participants.

Smith also says COVID-19 has had a major impact on Missouri’s economy.

“More than $1 billion has been cut from the state’s general revenue budget in recent months,” Smith says, in a statement. “Just this month, services requiring state support have been drastically reduced, including elementary school funding, college scholarships, and support services for those in need. Amendment Two will be a knockout blow to the state budget as more services will be cut or eliminated to pay for the healthcare of able-bodied adults.”

Supporters of Medicaid expansion disagree, saying the measure will create thousands of new jobs, many of them in rural communities.

The Missouri Chamber of Commerce and Industry and many unions have endorsed Amendment Two. The Chamber has quoted a study from the Missouri Foundation for Health, which says Medicaid expansion will create more than 16,000 new jobs annually during its first five years, while increasing personal income by $1.1 billion annually.

The Foundation for Health says most of the new positions would be outside of St. Louis and Kansas City, and that 90 percent of those jobs will pay more than $15 an hour.

Medicaid expansion supporters also say that Amendment Two will help keep rural hospitals open.

The Missouri Hospital Association (MHA) says ten rural Missouri hospitals have closed since 2014. Five of the ten ten closings happened in the southeast Missouri district of U.S. Rep. Jason Smith, R-Salem.

The Missouri Farm Bureau, the state’s largest general farm organization, is opposed to Amendment Two. Farm Bureau President Blake Hurst says it could cripple the state budget by imposing massive new healthcare costs on Missouri taxpayers.

37 states have expanded Medicaid.

Medicaid expansion is top priority for Missouri Democratic Party’s new acting chair (AUDIO)

July 8, 2020 By Brian Hauswirth

The Missouri Democratic Party’s new acting chair is focusing on the August Medicaid expansion ballot measure and the November elections.

Former State Rep. Clem Smith, D-Velda Village Hills, speaks on the Missouri House floor in Jefferson City on May 18, 2018 (photo courtesy of Tim Bommel at House Communications)

Former State Rep. Clem Smith, D-Velda Village Hills, was elected to the Missouri House in 2010. He served eight years in the House, from 2011-2018, before being forced out by term limits. Smith became acting chair of the party on Thursday.

He says access to health care is critical. He’s pushing for Amendment Two, which will be on your August 4th ballot.

“We believe the state has an appetite for it (Medicaid expansion),” Smith says. “I think the governor saw that too. We saw some jockeying of dates for that ballot initiative being moved to August.”

Medicaid, which is officially known as MO HealthNet, is a federal and state program that assists with medical costs for residents who have limited incomes.

Medicaid expansion supporters, including the Missouri Chamber of Commerce and Industry, say it will create more than 16,000 new jobs annually during its first five years. Supporters also predict it will increase personal income by $1.1 billion annually.

House Speaker Elijah Haahr, R-Springfield, opposes Medicaid expansion, saying it would take dollars out of the classroom. He notes it requires a ten percent match, for the 90 percent draw down. House Budget Committee Chairman Cody Smith, R-Carthage, says Medicaid expansion will blow a hole in the state operating budget.

As for Clem Smith, he’s confident that Missourians will approve Medicaid expansion at the ballot box next month. He says some GOP lawmakers who oppose Medicaid expansion also supported right-to-work, which Missourians rejected during a 2018 referendum.

“We saw that with the right-to-work that went through (signed into law by then-Governor Eric Greitens in 2017),” says Smith. “The people came and spoke and said we don’t want that, after members of the Legislature voted for it.”

67 percent of Missourians voted against right-to-work, at the August 2018 referendum.

Smith is also focusing on the November elections. He’s hopeful former Vice President Joe Biden (D) will carry Missouri this fall. The last Democratic presidential nominee to carry Missouri was Bill Clinton, who won here in both 1992 and 1996.

Smith is also focusing on the gubernatorial race and the statewide races. State Auditor Nicole Galloway, the presumptive Democratic gubernatorial nominee, is currently the only Democratic statewide officeholder. Smith also wants to see Democrats pick up seats in the Missouri Senate and Missouri House.

Republicans currently have supermajorities in both chambers. They control the Senate 23-8, with three vacancies. The GOP controls the House 113-48, with two vacancies.

Smith is also encouraging residents to fill out the U.S. Census, which takes place every ten years. He tells Missourinet the census is a nonpartisan issue.

“That’s very important because that determines the federal dollars that are coming into our state, how they’re allocated,” Smith says.

Each year, billions of dollars in federal funding goes to hospitals, fire departments and schools based on census data. The Census results also determine the number of seats each state will have in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Missouri now has eight House seats, and has lost two since 1980. That happened in 1981 and again in 2011, when the districts of then U.S. Reps. Wendell Bailey, R-Willow Springs, and Russ Carnahan, D-St. Louis, disappeared.

Smith replaces former Missouri Democratic Party Chair Jean Peters Baker, who is the Jackson County Prosecutor.

Click here to listen to the full interview between Missourinet’s Brian Hauswirth and Missouri Democratic Party acting chair Clem Smith, D-Velda Village Hills. It was recorded on July 6, 2020:

Missouri Supreme Court rules Legislature unconstitutionally stripped Medicaid funding to Planned Parenthood

June 30, 2020 By Alisa Nelson

The state Supreme Court has ruled today the Missouri Legislature violated the Constitution when lawmakers blocked Medicaid funding to Planned Parenthood. The Republican-controlled General Assembly’s budget writing tactic has defunded the organization more than $1 million since 2018. In the 6-1 high court decision, Judge Zel Fischer was the only one siding with the state in the case.

Missouri Supreme Court rules Legislature unconstitutionally stripped Medicaid funding to Planned Parenthood

During a December court hearing about the case, attorney Chuck Hatfield, who represented Planned Parenthood, said Republican lawmakers do not want to give funding to doctors affiliated with Planned Parenthood. He said the Legislature cannot pick and choose which Medicaid providers it is going to give the funding to.

Missouri Solicitor General D. John Sauer argued that lawmakers went by the book.

Planned Parenthood has 11 clinics in Missouri, but the St. Louis location is the only one that provides abortions. The locations offer other services to low-income Missourians, including birth control and cancer, diabetes, high blood pressure and cholesterol screenings.

Missouri lawmakers to hear Tuesday testimony on two issues: Medicaid expansion and tax credits

June 30, 2020 By Brian Hauswirth

Missouri lawmakers will hear testimony on Tuesday in Jefferson City about potential impacts on the state budget, if voters approve Medicaid expansion in August.

House Budget Committee Chairman Cody Smith, R-Carthage, speaks on the Missouri House floor on May 6, 2020 in Jefferson City (file photo courtesy of Tim Bommel at House Communications)

Medicaid, which is officially called MO HealthNet in Missouri, is a federal and state program that assists with medical costs for residents with limited incomes.

Missouri voters will cast ballots on Amendment Two in August, and the House Budget Committee will hear testimony Tuesday afternoon from 1-5 about potential budget implications.

Missouri’s current Medicaid budget is about $10 billion, about one-third of the state’s approximately $30 billion budget.

Thirty-six states have approved Medicaid expansion.

The Missouri Chamber of Commerce and Industry has endorsed Amendment Two, describing it as a “pro-jobs measure that will help fuel economic growth throughout our state.” The Chamber cites a report from the Missouri Foundation for Health, which says Medicaid expansion will create more than 16,000 new jobs annually during its first five years, creating more state revenue.

The Missouri Hospital Association also backs Medicaid expansion, saying 10 rural Missouri hospitals have closed since 2014.

Top Missouri GOP leaders oppose Medicaid expansion, warning it will impact the budget, causing cuts in other programs.

House Speaker Elijah Haahr, R-Springfield, says it would take dollars out of the classroom. He notes it would require a ten percent match, for the 90 percent draw down.

House Budget Committee Chairman Cody Smith, R-Carthage, agrees, warning it will blow a hole in the state operating budget. Governor Mike Parson (R) has expressed similar concerns.

The Budget Committee will also meet Tuesday from 10 a.m. to noon for their annual tax credit review hearing. Tax credits are essentially money that can be offset against a tax liability.

Budget Chairman Smith tells Missourinet that the state issued $551 million in tax credits in fiscal year 2019. Supporters of tax credits in the Legislature say they’re critical to landing key projects, especially in rural Missouri.

But opponents say they decrease funding for other parts of the state budget.

Missouri partnership provides telemedicine at no cost to some Medicaid users

June 22, 2020 By Alisa Nelson

The Missouri Division of Developmental Disabilities has signed a deal with StationMD to offer telemedicine services at no cost to about 15,000 Medicaid Waiver users. The company offers virtual access 24/7 to emergency physicians specifically trained to help people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The program is an addition to the current medical care offered by each individual’s primary care physician.

Missouri partnership provides telemedicine at no cost to some Medicaid users

“In these challenging times, it is critical to care for our individuals from home as much as possible,” Val Huhn, Director of the Division of Developmental Disabilities, says in a press release. “To be able to bring on a telehealth partner dedicated to the I/DD population is a big step forward. We’re excited about the partnership and what it means for those we serve.”

The service even includes the ability to check heart and lung sounds through an online connection.

The contract runs through August 31.

The Division and StationMD have also partnered with the UMKC Institute for Human Development (IHD) to assist with communication and outreach efforts.

Missouri Chamber backs Medicaid expansion, which remains key issue in gubernatorial race

June 12, 2020 By Brian Hauswirth

Missouri’s most influential business group is endorsing a Medicaid expansion issue that will appear on your August ballot. Medicaid, which is formally known as MO HealthNet, is a federal and state program that assists with medical costs for residents who have limited incomes.

Governor Mike Parson (right) briefs Missouri Capitol reporters in Jefferson City on June 11, 2020 (photo courtesy of the governor’s Flickr page)

Missouri’s current Medicaid budget is about $10 billion, accounting for about one-third of the state’s $30 billion operating budget.

The Missouri Chamber of Commerce and Industry has endorsed Amendment Two, which will be on the August 4 statewide ballot. The Chamber describes the Medicaid expansion proposal as a “pro-jobs measure that will help fuel economic growth throughout our state.”

The Chamber quotes a study from the Missouri Foundation for Health, which says Medicaid expansion will create more than 16,000 new jobs annually during its first five years, while increasing personal income by $1.1 billion annually. The Chamber says most of the new positions would be outside St. Louis and Kansas City, and that 90 percent of those jobs will pay more than $15 an hour.

The Missouri Hospital Association says ten rural Missouri hospitals have closed since 2014.

“Let’s not miss this chance to bolster our economy during this recovery, while expanding access to healthcare for our fellow Missourians,” Missouri Chamber President Dan Mehan says, in a written statement.

36 states have approved Medicaid expansion.

While the Medicaid expansion issue will be decided by voters in August, it has also emerged as a key issue in Missouri’s November gubernatorial race. It’s also a key issue for lawmakers in both parties.

Missourinet asked both Governor Mike Parson (R) and State Auditor Nicole Galloway (D), the presumptive Democratic gubernatorial nominee, about Medicaid expansion when they filed in February in Jefferson City.

“When (Auditor) Galloway was there and (Democratic Governor Jay) Nixon was there, we had over one million people on the state Medicaid roll out of six million. So when you think of that practically, one out of every six people on Medicaid,” Parson told Missourinet in February, at the Kirkpatrick Building.

Parson also said that day that no one verified Missouri’s Medicaid rolls, for more than a decade. He also emphasized that children who qualify for Medicaid should receive those services, and that his administration wants them to receive the services.

Auditor Galloway supports Medicaid expansion, noting the ten rural Missouri hospitals that have closed since 2014. The Columbia Democrat told Missourinet in February that it’s crucial.

“We have a governor that has kicked 100,000 children off of their health insurance, and he has no vision and no solution on how he’s going to fix that,” Galloway said that day.

Medicaid expansion has been discussed in the General Assembly for years, with most Republicans opposed to it and Democrats supporting.

House Speaker Elijah Haahr, R-Springfield, opposes Medicaid expansion, saying it would take dollars out of the classroom. Speaker Haahr notes it requires a ten percent match, for the 90 percent draw down.

House Budget Committee Chairman Cody Smith, R-Carthage, agrees, telling Missourinet Friday evening that he opposes Medicaid expansion because he worries it will blow a hole in the state budget. Other GOP members on the House Budget Committee have the same concern.

Democrats in the Legislature disagree. State Sen. Jill Schupp, D-Creve Coeur, who hopes to unseat U.S. Rep. Ann Wagner, R-Ballwin, this fall, backs Amendment Two. Schupp says it will ensure that an additional 300,000 Missourians have access to health care.

State Rep. Keri Ingle, D-Lee’s Summit, spoke about the issue on the Missouri House floor during the May budget debate. Ingle predicted that day that Missourians would approve Medicaid expansion at the ballot box.

Meantime, the coronavirus outbreak has impacted Missouri’s Medicaid numbers, as well as the budget.

The number of Missourians on Medicaid has increased by about 75,000 during the COVID-19 pandemic. Online statistics from the state Department of Social Services (DSS) show there were about 848,000 Missouri Medicaid enrollees in February.

That number increased to about 923,000 in May.