With the voter-approved Medicaid expansion amendment again under Republican assault, state Sen. Brian Williams is ripping the misguided effort.
“To think that this is still a conversation after the voters have shown at the ballot box that they want to expand Medicaid in Missouri, well it is extremely frustrating that we are still having this conversation,” Williams said.
“We should be doing everything in our power to ensure that folks have access to healthcare and not creating any barriers. It is important to be clear about the fact that people under Medicaid expansion are already working, and if they aren’t working, they would have been eligible under the old system.”
Republican legislators moved a bill to the House floor on Monday that would include a work requirement for people eligible for Medicaid. The Biden administration has repeatedly said it will not approve any work requirement legislation.
In addition, a proposed constitutional change backed by GOP legislators could allow the Legislature to make annual appropriations for Medicaid, or simply not to fund the expansion.
Adults between the ages of 19 and 64 who earn up to $17,774 a year, or $36,570 for a family of four are eligible for Medicaid. There is no cutoff date to enroll in this insurance program.
Enrollment has been slow as only 25% of newly eligible Missourians have signed up for Medicaid. Williams believes this is due to the lack of education from the state.
“I don’t think the state has done an efficient job on making it clear on how to enroll; we encouraged people last July to enroll July 1,” he said.
According to Show Me Coverage, Missouri enrollment is already higher than it was at the end of Open Enrollment last year. 92% of Missourians enrolling in Marketplace insurance are qualifying for discounts, up from 80-85% from previous years, according to a statement.
However, with the slow enrollment number, there is a question of if the state is making is clear on how those newly eligible for Medicaid can enroll.
“There have been so many confusing messages on whether or not they will be eligible for it, whether or not they can or cannot apply for Medicaid,” Williams said. “We have a lot of conflicting messages out there and to let politicians here in Jefferson City move the goal post every year has only contributed to the chaos.”
The bill in question would restrict access to Medicaid instead of bringing access to hundreds of thousands of Missourians.
“That’s the real reason why it’s a mess and in return it’s making Missouri less healthy, less safe and less prosperous,” he said. “These people are working and shouldn’t be bullied with bureaucracy and ranting.”
Rep. Peter Merideth, D-St. Louis, told Missouri News Network the effort is another attempt to reverse the will of Missouri voters.
“It makes me angry, and it makes me tired,” he said.
“Every step of the way, (Republicans are) just trying to fight against the people and against everybody, against common sense.”
Rep. Sarah Unsicker, D-Shrewsbury, Democratic Caucus policy chair and a member of the House Subcommittee on Health Care Reform a work requirment could be costly to the state.
“It would block up our entire Medicaid program because work requirements would still be in the constitution, so we would have to do them because that’s what the constitution says,” she said.
“But (the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services) wouldn’t authorize it, so they wouldn’t give us the federal Medicaid match. That would leave Missouri on the hook for the 90 percent of the Medicaid budget funded by the federal government.”
