38th state to OK expansion of health coverage

COLUMBIA, Mo. — Voters on Tuesday made Missouri the 38th state to approve expanding Medicaid health care coverage to thousands more lowincome adults.

Support for the constitutional amendment means that as many as 250,000 more adults could choose to be covered by government health insurance beginning in July 2021, according to estimates from the state auditor.

“As Medicaid expansion is fully and expeditiously implemented so that Missourians are no longer forced to choose between putting food on the table and seeing a doctor, today’s victory will be a true turning point in the history of the Show Me State,” said A.J. Bockelman, the proMedicaid campaign manager.

The vote on health care, which was paired with Missouri’s primary elections, came as confirmed coronavirus cases have been rising in the state and the economy continues to suffer.

“I believe the economy is going to bounce back strongly but not anytime soon,” said 62yearold Jim Roberts, an employee in the Clay County Prosecutor’s office in Liberty, who voted to expand Medicaid. “Jesus said, ‘The poor will be with you always,’ but we still need to address the concerns of those who are less fortunate.”

Concerns about the virus appear to have driven a record number of people to cast absentee ballots in Missouri’s largest jurisdiction of St. Louis County, said county election director Eric Fey.

Missouri’s Republicanled Legislature has repeatedly rejected Medicaid expansion proposals over the past decade, prompting supporters to turn to the initiative process.

Idaho, Maine, Nebraska, Oklahoma and Utah have all expanded Medicaid through ballot questions following inaction by state lawmakers, according to the nonpartisan Kaiser Family Foundation. Oklahoma became the 37th state to expand eligibility for Medicaid under the federal law last month.

By proposing a constitutional amendment instead of a new law, Missouri supporters have ensured that lawmakers will be unable to change it without going back to voters.