Report: Medicaid Expansion Good for MO Businesses, Workers

Monday, May 5, 2014

JEFFERSON CITY- Medicaid expansion is not a handout to the unemployed - a message some health care and business advocates hope Missouri lawmakers take from a new report. 
It finds that more than half of the Missourians who would benefit from the move are workers critical to the state's economy. 
Brendan Cossette, director of legislative affairs for the Missouri Chamber of Commerce and Industry, says expanding Medicaid simply makes good economic sense.
"Beyond the clear social benefit, this keeps employees healthy, and healthy employees are happier and more productive - period," he points out. "That's good for every business' bottom line."
According to the report from consumer advocacy group Families USA, those workers are employed in a broad range of industries, including food service, retail, maintenance, child care and health care support. 
Despite broad bipartisan support, some Republican opponents of the Affordable Care Act have been unwilling to bring the Medicaid expansion issue to a vote. 
Right now, Medicaid only covers Missouri parents with an annual family income of less than $4,750, and it excludes people without dependent children, no matter how low their income. 
Andrea Routh, executive director of Missouri Health Advocacy Alliance, says the report makes clear that expanding Medicaid would serve tens of thousands of Missourians now caught in an unfortunate grey area. 
"These are people who work really hard," she stresses. "They don't make a lot of money, they can't afford insurance coverage on the private market and they don't work for employers who provide coverage."
Under an expanded Medicaid program, Missouri could provide health coverage to residents with incomes up to 138 percent of the federal poverty level, which is roughly $27,000 per year for a family of three.

To Read More
Subscribe Sign In
Continue reading with a subscription
Subscription options