© 2024 University of Missouri - KBIA
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

GOP led Mo. Senate rejects Medicaid expansion

Republicans in the Missouri Senate want to make sure the governor doesn't create a health care exchange without their consent.
KBIA/file photo
/
KBIA
Republicans in the Missouri Senate want to make sure the governor doesn't create a health care exchange without their consent.

The Missouri Senate has defeated an attempt to expand Medicaid eligibility to several hundred thousand lower-income adults.

The 23-9 vote Wednesday followed party lines, with majority Republicans voting against the expansion and minority party Democrats supporting it.

The vote marked the first official rejection of Medicaid expansion this year since Democratic Governor Jay Nixon renewed his call for it during his State of the State address. Republicans repeatedly rejected similar proposals last year.

About half of the states have expanded Medicaid under the terms of President Barack Obama's health care law. States that do so can receive enhanced federal payments.

But Missouri's Republican lawmakers continue to express concerns about the potential long-term costs.

The Associated Press is one of the largest and most trusted sources of independent newsgathering, supplying a steady stream of news to its members, international subscribers and commercial customers. AP is neither privately owned nor government-funded; instead, it's a not-for-profit news cooperative owned by its American newspaper and broadcast members.
Related Content