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Medicaid expansion will finally be happening in Missouri after a judge ruled that the administration of Gov. Mike Parson must provide Medicaid to eligible adults. This comes after a number of setbacks since voters approved the program in a referendum in August 2020.
In May, Missouri’s Republican-majority legislature excluded funding for the voter-approved Medicaid expansion in the state’s $35 billion budget, shifting the responsibility to Parson who decided to not move forward with plans for expansion. The case went to the Missouri Supreme Court, where a lower court’s ruling against the expansion was overruled.
State attorneys then presented an argument to Cole County Circuit Judge Jon Beetem claiming the state would need at least two months to update the computer systems and staff needed to implement the expansion. On Tuesday, August 10, Beetem ruled that the state could no longer delay the expansion of Medicaid for newly eligible adults, bringing an end to the months-long legal battle.
"The state has to start accepting applications immediately, but it’s very confusing” because the state does need some time to ensure the IT system is up and running, says Ryan Barker, vice president of strategic initiatives at the Missouri Foundation for Health (MFH). The state will begin making determinations on eligibility on October 1, but anyone can still submit an application before then.
One important aspect to be aware of is that “the coverage will backdate to the date of application” if approved, says Barker. Additionally, prior quarter coverage allows applicants to request coverage for health care costs in the three months prior to applying. In this specific case, however, the prior quarter coverage only goes back until July 1 because that is the initial date the expansion was meant to be in place.
The expansion is expected to provide coverage for around 275,000 additional low-income individuals throughout the state. Barker explains that prior to this expansion, there has been a “real barrier to lower-wage [and] minimum wage workers” accessing affordable health care. Certain groups of people were excluded from coverage, including childless adults and 60 percent of Missouri’s homeless population. For example, he explains, a childless adult with no kids or disability could make $2,000 a year and still not have been eligible for Medicaid coverage because of the way eligibility had been set up.
“Having access to health care makes a world of difference to people’s lives” both in terms of personal health and the ability to have a job and earn an income, Barker says. When people are uninsured, they may have to delay or avoid seeking care in order to continue paying their other bills or providing for their families. This is why, Barker says, the uninsured often “live sicker [and are] diagnosed with conditions later, which leads to lower life expectancies.”
Individuals interested in applying for Medicaid can do so online at the Missouri Department of Social Services website. For application help or more information, the MFH has set up their Cover Missouri tools, including a website and a call center that can be reached at 1-800-466-3231.
