Medicaid enrollment

Missouri on average took 41 days to process a Medicaid application in September for the eligibility group which includes low-income children, pregnant people, families and adults.

State officials declared the backlog of Medicaid applications "no more" and expressed optimism they would meet a federal deadline set for the end of the month. The state's processing time had grown to 115 days, far longer than allowed under law.

Roughly four in every five Medicaid applications in Missouri took longer than 45 days to process from February to April.

Religious leaders in the statewide group Missouri Faith Voices are encouraging volunteers to spread the word about the state's Medicaid expansion. They say that the state has done little to publicize the program and that much of the responsibility for educating residents has fallen on them and community organizations.

Medicaid applicants in Missouri are facing average wait times to get their applications processed of nearly four months: well over the 45 days required by the federal government.

The pandemic has overwhelmed understaffed state Medicaid agencies, and as Biden's COVID-19 public health emergency declaration ends, low-income people could find it even harder to get coverage.

About 275,000 Missourians were expected to gain health care coverage in the first year, according to estimates used by the Missouri Governor's Office. But just over 62,000 people have actually signed up so far.

Missouri has nearly 73,000 people waiting to have their Medicaid applications processed, more than the number of people enrolled in the expansion of the federal-state health insurance program. Although most states process Medicaid applications within a week, Missouri is taking, on average, more than two months. Patient advocates fear that means people will stay uninsured longer, leading them to postpone care or get stuck with high medical bills.

Missouri's budget does not include money to extend Medicaid to 275,000 low-income people, despite a constitutional amendment approved by voters.

Some Missouri House Democrats are calling on the governor to stop the removal of people from Medicaid rolls until the state can get a better handle on…