JEFFERSON CITY —The Senate Interim Committee on Medicaid Transformation and Reform voted not to include Medicaid expansion as one of the formal recommendations in its report. This decision by the majority party serving on the committee was made despite that most of the witnesses who testified before the committee recommended Missouri lower the income eligibility for Medicaid in order to receive matching federal funds and increase health care access to the neediest Missourians.

“Currently, citizens can earn only up to 18 percent of the federal poverty level to be eligible for Medicaid, or MO HealthNet,” Sen. Keaveny said following Wednesday’s committee meeting. “This is far too low of an income threshold in order to have healthy families in Missouri.”
Keaveny continued, “The General Assembly should consider waiver options for expansion to 133 percent of the federal poverty level, allowing Missouri to accept the federal money promised with Medicaid expansion.”   

The Kaiser Commission released a new survey stating states not expanding Medicaid income limits are expecting a larger increase in their state budget portions dedicated to Medicaid. The commission also indicated that state spending growth will be lower for 25 states that are moving forward with the Medicaid expansion (4.4 percent) compared to the remaining states (6.1 percent).

The committee has until Dec. 15 to issue its final report with its recommendations to the General Assembly for legislative action.

“I am disappointed in the committee’s failure to include expert testimony in the recommendations to the Senate and its failure to present a fiscal analysis of the benefits of Medicaid expansion in the report,” said Sen. Keaveny. “The 15 recommendations in the report are insignificant considering the short window of opportunity that states have to receive federal money that Missouri will do without.”

For more about the committee go to http://www.senate.mo.gov/medicaidtransformation.