Medicaid expansion

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.

Republicans in the Missouri House are looking to get a constitutional amendment on the ballot in November which would allow them to control Medicaid expansion funding.

Research has found Medicaid expansion is linked to lower rates of people reoffending, and a key aspect appears to be mental health care.

Five months after a judge ruled Missouri must begin enrolling people in its newly expanded Medicaid program, the state is off to a slow start, with only 20% of newly eligible people signed up.

Missouri’s governor hopes the legislature will pass his proposed raises for state employees in time for them to go into effect in February.

The Noel Republican also discussed other big-ticket items for the 2022 session, including congressional redistricting and passing legislation authorizing Gov. Mike Parson to spend Medicaid expansion funds.

The Republican senator's decision set off an electoral domino effect that included opening up two GOP congressional seats.

Voters in Missouri and Oklahoma approved Medicaid expansion to begin in 2021. But while Oklahoma has enrolled over 200,000 people so far, Missouri has enrolled fewer than 20,000. Why are two such similar states handling the public insurance rollout so differently?