93.9 The Eagle – The News and Talk of Columbia, MO
Missouri voters will decide on Tuesday whether to expand Medicaid in the state. If Amendment 2 passes, about 230,000 more Missourians would have access to the health insurance program.
Ashland Republican state representative Sara Walsh says, even with the feds paying for 90% of the expansion, it could still cost the state $200 million a year.
“This is going to be another hit to where I can’t see any way around it other than a massive tax increase or that we’re going to have to cut services to free up the [Missouri general revenue funding] to do this,” Walsh said on a recent CEO Roundtable.
But supporter Jack Cardetti with the group Healthcare for Missouri says most states have already expanded Medicaid and it did not hurt their budgets.
“When it comes to Amendment 2 and expanding Medicaid, both conservatives and progressives across the state agree on this because it’s the right thing to do for our economy and it’s the smart thing to do for Missouri taxpayers,” Cardetti says.
Most of Missouri’s neighbors have voted to expand Medicaid.
