Supreme Court Ruling Represents Victory for Medicaid Expansion in Missouri, But Long Road Ahead Demonstrates Need for Federal Solution to Closing the Coverage Gap
Washington, DC — Yesterday, the Missouri Supreme Court unanimously ruled in favor of Medicaid expansion, reversing a lower court decision rejecting the program. In August 2020, voters in Missouri approved expansion, but Republicans in the state legislature refused to fund the program, leading to a months-long legal battle. In the meantime, at least 275,000 Missourians have been denied Medicaid coverage. In response, Protect Our Care Executive Director Brad Woodhouse issued the following statement:
“It is simply outrageous that Republicans in Missouri ignored the will of the people and denied hundreds of thousands of Missouri families access to health coverage in the middle of a global pandemic. Research shows that Medicaid expansion increases access to care, bolsters the economy, and saves lives, but Republicans would rather play political games than improve the health and well being of their constituents. Every day this process plays out is another day 275,000 Missourians are denied access to coverage. What’s happened in Missouri makes clear we cannot trust Republican-led states to do the right thing, and we need a federal solution to ensure millions of people stuck in the coverage gap finally get the coverage they need.”