MO Healthnet Division Director Todd Richardson will step down from his position leading the state’s Medicaid program at the end of October, according to a spokesperson for the Missouri Department of Social Services.
Richardson’s decision comes as his division prepares to implement a series of new directives from Congress on how states administer the federal healthcare program for low-income and disabled Americans, including work requirements and a cap on a key tax states use to pay for the program.
Baylee Watts, spokesperson for the department, said Director Jessica Bax will work with the governor’s office to select an interim director by mid-October, and that the department does not anticipate any interruptions to the healthcare of Missourians enrolled in the program.
“I think they have a strong bench that is willing to step in and cover any gaps,” Watts said. “But no, we don’t foresee any changes or gaps in operations.”
At the end of August, roughly 1.3 million Missourians were enrolled in Medicaid, according to the Missouri Family Support Division.
Richardson, a Republican from Poplar Bluff, served in the Missouri House of Representatives from 2013 to 2018, when former Gov. Mike Parson tapped him to helm the state’s Medicaid program.
Richardson helped coordinate the state’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic and took a months-long leave of absence in 2021, as lawmakers debated whether to fund the voter-approved expansion of Medicaid in the state. Upon his return, the division began enrolling Missourians who newly qualified for coverage, after a judge ordered the Department of Social Services to carry out the plan approved by 53.3% of voters in August 2020.
There are more than 350,000 people ages 19 to 64 enrolled under the expansion program. Under the budget act passed this year by Congress, Missouri has until December 2026 to require adults covered under expansion – those under 65 who earn up to 138% of the federal poverty level – to work, volunteer or study at least 80 hours per month to receive benefits.
Georgia, one of the only states with current Medicaid work requirements, spent $54.2 million over five years to administer work requirements, according to Stateline. That is more than twice the amount spent on medical benefits for those in the work program.
