Missouri Senate rejects funding for Medicaid expansion
Apr. 29—JEFFERSON CITY — Joining their Republican colleagues in the House, the
The controversial decision came despite 53% of
The maneuver affects as many as 275,000 low-income Missourians, leaving the state facing potential legal action when the expanded population is allowed to begin signing up for Mo HealthNet benefits on
At issue was a Democratic amendment to the
The proposal, sponsored by Senate Minority Leader
"I'm sorry, if you are a healthy adult, you need to get a job," said Sen.
Rizzo said lawmakers have teed up the matter for a court battle.
"The people have finally weighed in on this. And now the Legislature is going to abdicate its duties and leave its responsibility to a judge?" Rizzo said. "I don't know what shark we have jumped here. God forbid the people have a voice."
Some Republican supporters of expansion scoffed at
"Obviously I think we should do it. We do have an influx of cash right now," said Republican Sen.
Senate Floor Leader
"I've always voted my district and voted my conscience," Rowden said.
All 10
The overall budget proposal contains no tax increases and would boost the pay of more than 50,000 state workers by at least 2%.
The budget includes 13 spending bills that will fund state operations in the fiscal year beginning
But after more than six hours of wading through spending on schools, prisons and public safety, lawmakers zeroed in on Medicaid.
The 2020 ballot initiative, known as Amendment 2, called for the changes in eligibility standards, but did not spell out a source for paying for it.
In his January budget proposal, Parson earmarked
"The fundamental argument is how big we want the welfare state to be," said Sen.
Sen.
"It's not a Republican or Democratic issue. This is about how do we maintain a quality of life," said Sen.
"This is what the people of
Sen.
"Not funding Medicaid is wholly unacceptable," Arthur said.
The state is not hurting for money to pay for the expansion. The current budget, which pays for state programs through
Differences between the
Among differences floated by the
The
The
The committee also could debate a House plan to pressure the
The budget legislation is House Bills 1-13.
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