Medicaid expansion

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the federal government prevented states from kicking people off MO HealthNet, Missouri's Medicaid health insurance program. That provision ends April 1, and state residents will once more need to prove their eligibility for the low-cost coverage.

Under the legislation, those who receive benefits from Medicaid during pregnancy would be able to keep them for one full-year post birth. But the program can only begin after nearly 5,000 other people are kicked off Medicaid.

In the year after Missouri expanded Medicaid, the state struggled to sign up people for the government-funded health insurance program. Now, more than 1 million Missourians are enrolled. The federal government barred states from kicking anyone off Medicaid during the coronavirus pandemic. But when those protections expire this spring, patients will need to renew their coverage. Advocates and health officials worry that eligible people could drop off the rolls.

Federal rules give states a maximum turnaround time of 45 days to process Medicaid applications. In April, Missouri took an average of 101 days to process a signup.

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.

Democrats say the expansion will lower health care costs by reducing care administered at emergency rooms, while Republicans argue it will incentivize illegal immigration and overburden the state’s health system.

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.

Research suggests access to public health insurance can help curb recidivism. Reentry organizations in Missouri are working to enroll people in Medicaid after they leave prison to keep them from coming back.

The proposed amendment next goes to the state Senate. And if the legislature passes it, the measure would need voters' approval in November.

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.