Missouri’s GOP leadership has put 835,000 uninsured Missourians on notice that they cannot expect the state to make affordable health coverage available to them any time soon. This follows on the heels of the recent Supreme Court ruling that allows the federal Affordable Care Act (ACA) to be implemented.
The Republicans always call the ACA “Obamacare” with malicious intent, but I proudly call it that in gratitude to our president for having the courage to tackle this massive decades-long problem.
Why are the Republicans abandoning 835,000 Missouri neighbors? 2012 Budget Chair state Rep. Ryan Silvey and others say Missouri simply does not have the money for its share and is unwilling to raise taxes.
Let’s be clear: GOP leaders are refusing a spectacular match rate, turning down an $8.4 billion federal windfall. And Missouri Republicans are choosing not to have adequate revenue to expand Medicaid by refusing to take any of several commonsense steps that would produce the needed funds.
GOP leaders place the price tag for the Medicaid expansion at $431 million by 2022. This ignores the fact that Missouri collects a fee from Medicaid providers which would hold the eventual cost of the expansion down to $146 million, according to Budget Director Linda Luebbering.
Here are bills that I sponsored or co-sponsored in 2012 that would cover the cost of the Medicaid expansion so that our neighbors have coverage and the premiums of insured Missourians stop sky-rocketing due to the cost of uncompensated care:
House Bill 1976 – By raising our tobacco tax to 75 percent of the national average, we could produce an additional $411 million annually.
House Bill 1617 – By ending the exemption for federal taxes paid – Missouri is one of only six states that allows this – Missouri could raise at least $394 million annually. Eighty-three percent of the benefit of this current tax feature goes to the wealthiest 40% of Missourians, making it an incredibly poorly-targeted program.
House Bill 1616 – By overhauling our tax table which hasn’t been changed since 1931 and creating a refundable tax credit to help singles with less than $50,000 of income annually and couples with less than $80,000 annually, we could produce $1.3 billion in new tax revenue – upon voter approval.
House Bill 1215 – By collecting sales tax that is technically owed on Internet sales, Missouri could collect tens of millions each year, a trend that appears to be growing and that may eventually top $300 million annually according to some estimates.
Many of these bills would generate enough money so that we could not only fund healthcare for our brothers and sisters, we could also stop stripping funds from the blind to fund higher education (as was proposed in 2012). We could halt annual threats to the Meals on Wheels programs for our elders, so that the senior citizens centers can take a break from the chicken dinners, poker tournaments, and other fundraisers that they constantly hold to keep their doors open. We could adequately fund community-based mental health so that our streets and homes would be safer, and millions would be saved that are now spent on incarcerations that are preventable.
It’s time we stopped being penny-wise and pound-foolish. Let’s expand Medicaid and work toward the day when everyone is in and no one is out. Investing in programs to improve our quality of life will create jobs. Now is the time. On August 7, vote for leaders committed to the common good of Missourians.
Mott Oxford is a candidate for state Senate in Missouri’s 5th Senatorial District on the August 7 ballot.
