Missouri House Panel OKs Proposed Medicaid Constitutional Amendment
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — A House committee on Monday approved a proposed constitutional amendment that would change how Medicaid is funded in Missouri.
The Republican-backed proposed amendment comes after 53% of Missouri voters approved a constitutional amendment in 2020 to expand Medicaid funding, after the GOP-led Legislature for years refused to do so.
And a Missouri Supreme Court ruling last July forced the Legislature to fund the expansion, making thousands more state residents eligible.
On Monday, a House budget panel advanced the proposed amendment to the full house, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported.
House Budget Committee Chairman Rep. Cody Smith, R-Carthage, said the amendment would not necessarily mean all expansion costs would be cut. He argued it would allow lawmakers more flexibility to manage Medicaid spending.
Democrats said the proposal is another effort by Republicans hurt poor people who need health coverage.
The proposal also includes a requirement for Medicaid recipients to work or perform community engagement.