Some supporters of a Medicaid expansion championed by President Barack Obama are also embracing a Republican alternative put forth in the Missouri House.
Missouri's Republican-led committees have repeatedly defeated the Medicaid expansion backed by Obama and Democrats.
Rep. Jay Barnes (R-Jefferson City) is proposing the Republican alternative of the expansion. Among the witnesses testifying for Barnes’ plan in a House committee Monday were people who have stood by Democrats in recent weeks as they embraced a proposed Medicaid expansion for lower-income adults.
The Republican plan would cover fewer additional adults than Obama's version, in addition to removing some children from the current Medicaid rolls.