Medicaid Money in Missouri

After passage of the Affordable Care Act in 2019, Medicaid expansion became central to increased healthcare in the states. Studies from the University of Missouri and other sources indicate that Medicaid expansion would add $10 billion to the Missouri economy over the first 10 years. Rural hospitals are closing, and with Medicaid expansion would receive larger payments because they serve more elderly and poor citizens. Today there is more reliance on ER usage, which hospitals call uncompensated care. Hospitals then raise rates, and insurance companies pass that cost on to consumers. In February of this year, Washington University released a study indicating that expansion could help almost 230,000 citizens receive health coverage with the costs mostly paid for by the federal government. These issues will be addressed by a panel representing health care experts and consumers.