MO HealthNet

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.

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 lawsuit follows passage of a supplemental budget bill that bars abortion providers or their affiliates from being reimbursed through Medicaid.

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.

While the state is accepting applications for Medicaid coverage under expanded eligibility, it says it can't start processing those applications before October 1.

State officials said eligible individuals would not be enrolled until Oct. 1 due to system updates.

If approved, the federal government would pay for 90% of a women's health program costs. State officials say it would decrease unplanned pregnancies and the spread of sexually transmitted diseases. But critics say the program won’t reach low-income women who need it the most, because the waiver would bar clinics that offer abortions from participating.

The Missouri Department of Social Services must pay Planned Parenthood for providing care for Medicaid patients, the state Supreme Court ruled…

Missouri began offering chiropractic care, acupuncture, physical therapy and cognitive-behavioral therapy for Medicaid patients in April, the latest state…