The full Missouri House plans to get to work this week on the next state operating budget. Tensions could flare when lawmakers discuss a budget bill intended to defund a voter-approved Medicaid expansion effort.
Missouri Hospital Association spokesman Dave Dillon tells Missourinet the fate of this effort has yet to play out.
Governor Parson did not support the expansion but has vowed to move forward with what voters have chosen. The Governor’s Office has not responded to Missourinet’s request for a comment about the House Budget Committee’s decision to defund the expansion.
Dillon tells Missourinet the attempt to defund the expansion adds insult to injury.
Some House Democrats say Republicans are ignoring voters by not funding the expansion that would provide government-funded healthcare to another 275-thousand low-income adults. House Budget Committee Chairman Cody Smith has instead requested to use the funding to expand mental health programs, help seniors in nursing homes and the developmentally disabled, add public defenders, and boost K-12 transportation funding.
