Missouri Supreme Court Orders State To Begin Medicaid Expansion
State voters approved expanding coverage of Medicaid, the federal-state program for low-income residents, but the governor refused to implement the program because lawmakers did not appropriate funding. The court rejected his arguments.
St. Louis Post-Dispatch:
In A Unanimous Ruling, Missouri High Court Says Medicaid Expansion ‘Valid’
The Missouri Supreme Court on Thursday unanimously reversed a lower court decision that found the state’s Medicaid expansion unconstitutional. Moving with uncharacteristic speed, the high court overruled Cole County Circuit Judge Jon Beetem’s decision that upended the long-running push to add as many as 275,000 low-income Missourians to the government-run health insurance program. (Erickson, 7/22)
NPR:
State Supreme Court Rules Missouri Must Expand Medicaid
Thursday, the Missouri Supreme Court ruled that an additional 275,000 low-income individuals in the state are again eligible for publicly-funded health care. Missouri voters successfully pushed through a state constitutional amendment on the ballot last August to adopt Medicaid expansion, but the Republican-dominated legislature refused to implement it, prompting Gov. Mike Parson, also a Republican, to pull the plug on plans to bolster the health care program. (Thirty-eight states, including red ones, have either expanded Medicaid or are in the process of expanding it.) (Rosenbaum and Lippmann, 7/22)
CNN:
Missouri Supreme Court Rules In Favor Of Medicaid Expansion
The Medicaid expansion, which was supposed to take effect on July 1, was blocked by Republican Gov. Mike Parson, who said in May that the state could not proceed because lawmakers had not appropriated funding. More than 275,000 low-income Missourians could gain coverage under expansion. However, the state Supreme Court found that the appropriation bills do not distinguish between benefits provided to those who qualified previously and those eligible under expansion. (Luhby, 7/22)
And in other state news about health insurance —
Stateline:
3 States Pursue Public Option For Health Coverage As Feds Balk
President Joe Biden has not yet delivered on his campaign promise to create a national public health insurance option, but three states have moved forward with plans of their own. Colorado and Nevada this year passed public option plans—government-run health insurance plans—that are set to launch in 2023 and 2026, respectively. They join Washington state, which enacted its law in 2019 and went live with its public option in January. Proponents hope a more affordable alternative will attract residents without health insurance. (Ollove, 7/22)
