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Missouri Senate votes ‘no’ to funding Medicaid expansion

Lawmakers in the Missouri Senate voted down paying to expand Medicaid. The decision was reached late Wednesday night and comes nearly eight months after Missouri voters approved Medicaid expansion. New Medicaid eligibility rules take effect in July.

On Wednesday night, the Missouri Senate on Wednesday voted against funding a voter-approved expansion of Medicaid. Missouri voters passed to expand the program back in 2020.

Some Republicans, including the Senate’s budget leader, held that with Medicaid expansion the state would be obligated to pay for an expensive program that could cause the state’s budget to take a big hit in the future.

The state’s Republican Gov. Mike Parson, who opposes the expansion, nevertheless previously said he would abide by the voters’ decision and included funding for the expansion in his budget proposal.

The state’s new Medicaid eligibility rules take effect in July.