JEFFERSON CITY — As a member of the Senate Interim Committee on Medicaid Transformation and Reform, Sen. Joseph Keaveny, D-St. Louis, urges citizens who would like to testify before panel members regarding Medicaid reform in the Show-Me State to attend tomorrow’s (7-9) hearing scheduled for 9:00 a.m. in Senate Committee Room 2, located on the first floor of the State Capitol.  Due to time constraints, the hearing is limited to public testimony. 

“One of my top legislative priorities this year was the expansion of Missouri’s Medicaid program under the federal Affordable Care Act,” Sen. Keaveny said.  “Our state’s Medicaid program, also known as MO HealthNet, serves low-income individuals, children, pregnant women, individuals with disabilities, and senior citizens.  Expanding this program would have provided health care to thousands of low-income citizens and created up to 24,000 new jobs in just its first year of expansion.”

Senator Keaveny continues, “Attempts to expand this much-needed program were defeated last session.  However, we were able to create this committee in order to determine a plan for the Legislature to help improve access to health care for our most vulnerable citizens and utilize federal funding that belongs to the hard-working citizens of this state.”

One of the main goals behind the committee is to develop methods to help prevent fraud and abuse in the MO HealthNet system.  The 10-member panel must issue its report and recommendations regarding Missouri’s health care system to the General Assembly by Dec. 15, 2013. 

To learn more about this committee, including its responsibilities and members, as well as its meeting minutes and schedule, visit www.senate.mo.gov/MedicaidTransformation.  Subsequent hearings will have a firm agenda and scheduled witnesses.