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

Missouri Senate Panel Considers Higher Ed, Medicaid Spending

Kurt Schaefer
File Photo
/
KBIA

A Missouri Senate panel has begun making changes to the House's version of the state budget, but many of the most contentious issues remain unresolved.

The Senate's budget writers Tuesday left open questions about how to fund soaring Medicaid costs and higher education.

Gov. Jay Nixon has said a 6 percent boost to higher education funding would freeze tuition for the next year. The House increased that spending by 2 percent.

Appropriations Chairman Kurt Schaefer said he wants to ensure tuition stays low, but his committee hasn't settled on a funding level.

Schaefer also said the rising cost of Medicaid is cutting into the state's ability to fund other programs. He said he would like for the state to be able to negotiate better prices for medicine.

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.