RHC CEO Angela Brown contributed perspective to The St. Louis American’s recent article, “A new bill may restrict newly expanded Medicaid insurance.”
In August 2020, Missouri voters approved Medicaid expansion via a statewide ballot initiative. This expansion of services provides public insurance (Medicaid) to adults ages 19 through 64 with incomes at or below the limit for their household size.
The American notes the recent bill, House Joint Resolution (HJR) 117, “is a measure that would put Medicaid expansion at risk. It would place the issue back on the ballot, make expansion subject to appropriations, and enact work requirements for Medicaid.” See more about the bill on Missouri Foundation for Health’s policy tracker.
The article also highlights disappointments in the slow roll out of Medicaid expansion benefits across the state. Angela Brown expressed frustration at the continued attempts to undermine qualified residents’ access to these services.
“The federal government has already decided that they would make the decision that they would not allow work requirements, so this is probably a non-starter. They have tried this for years now…the federal government stepped in because people were actually losing coverage when they were working because they didn’t understand the process of how to report that they were working.”
Angela Brown, CEO of the St. Louis Regional Health Commission
Read the full article at The St. Louis American site here – “A new bill may restrict newly expanded Medicaid insurance”