IN THE COUNTY LEGISLATURE OF JACKSON COUNTY, MISSOURI
Title
A RESOLUTION supporting the Missouri Medicaid Expansion Initiative for the November 3, 2020 election.
Intro
RESOLUTION NO. 20253, September 16, 2019
INTRODUCED BY Crystal Williams, Scott Burnett, Jalen Anderson, and Charlie Franklin, County Legislators
Body
WHEREAS, if passed, the Missouri Medicaid Expansion Initiative will require the State of Missouri to provide Medicaid for persons under the age of 65 whose income is equal to or below 138 percent of the official poverty line; and,
WHEREAS, petition backers need 172,000 valid signatures to qualify for the ballot measure to be placed on the November 3, 2020 general election ballot; and,
WHEREAS, in 2010 the Affordable Care Act (ACA) directed states to expand Medicaid, but a 2012 U.S. Supreme Court ruling made such expansion optional; and,
WHEREAS, Missouri is one of only fourteen states that have rejected federal funds to cover the costs of the recommended Medicaid expansion; and,
WHEREAS, it is estimated that over 200,000 citizens of Missouri will benefit if Medicaid is expanded in the state, with the federal government covering ninety percent of the cost through the ACA; and,
WHEREAS, expansion of Medicaid in Missouri is supported by the Missouri Hospital Association, the Missouri Primary Care Association, and Missouri Health Care for All, a grassroots coalition of individuals, health care providers, and faith organizations; and,
WHEREAS, healthcare providers are mandated to serve everyone who enters an emergency room, resulting in a financial burden of uncompensated care for these providers; and,
WHEREAS, in rural Missouri, at least nine hospitals have closed since 2014 and roughly one-quarter of patients of Missouri Community Health Centers are uninsured, situations that may be alleviated by the expansion of Medicaid; and,
WHEREAS, presently MO HealthNet, Missouri's Medicaid program, provides health insurance only to childre...
Click here for full text