Missouri’s push for Medicaid expansion runs into Republican opposition
By Jason Hancock, The Kansas City Star | |
McClatchy-Tribune Information Services |
The broad coalition backing
Still, even the staunchest supporters of expansion admit that the uphill battle they've long faced may just be getting steeper.
"I am more pessimistic than I was this summer," said Sen.
The latest setback for supporters came when a public summit called by Nixon to discuss
Nixon panned the idea, and both sides accused the other of political posturing.
Less than a week earlier, a committee in the
"I don't think there's a lot of support for
Sen.
The politics of the health care law make expansion a difficult sell in
"It died in the
Add into that the "just disastrous rollout" of the federal health care law, Torpey said.
"The Affordable Care Act and the stumbling blocks it's had has hurt the chances of
To many Republicans, Torpey said, there are major concerns about the long-term costs both to the federal and state governments.
"Nobody said it was going to be easy," said Mehan, whose organization is one of the most outspoken supporters of
Supporters hang their hat on the idea that
The Affordable Care Act calls for states to expand eligibility for
If lawmakers choose not to expand
In addition to the infusion of federal money, a plan drafted by Rep.
Barnes' plan would expand its
To offset costs, children in lower- to middle-income families would be moved out of
Any changes made to the
"We should do those reforms, but the mom who has two kids and two jobs but can't afford health care, why not help that person, too?" Torpey said, later adding: "There's got to be room for compromise. I think everyone can win."
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