Missouri Medicaid to reform, not expand, Republicans say

Republican House Speaker Tim Jones announced Thursday the creation of two interim committees to focus on transforming Missouri’s Medicaid system.

Jones was clear that the house is looking to “reform not expand” the Medicaid system and the house “will not pass any expansion.”

“Putting a billion-dollar Band-Aid on a broken system is something that is simply not good for Missourians,” Jones said.

One committee is called the Legislative Working Group and will work on Medicaid transformation. The other group is called the Citizens And Legislators Working Group and will focus on Medicaid Eligibility and Reform with input from citizens and medical professionals.

Scott Holste from the Governor’s Office said, “Governor Jay Nixon’s message has been clear. We need to strengthen Medicaid because it is the right thing to do and the smart thing to do.”