Two days of hearings into Missouri’s Medicaid system were wrapped up Wednesday by a House interim committee tasked with crafting reforms that could also include a moderate increase in coverage.
Committee members have been examining how some GOP-led state legislatures have expanded Medicaid, but several Republicans remain opposed to approving any expansion until reforms are put in place.
Keith Frederick of Rolla said doing so would load the cost onto future generations and would be akin to “financial child abuse.”
Fellow Republican Noel Torpey of Independence says, though, it is possible to expand and reform Medicaid while remaining fiscally conservative.
“The majority of the population we’re talking about are the working poor, and if we can help them and also change the system in a better fashion for everyone that’s involved in it, I think that’s a good policy,” Torpey said.
More hearings are scheduled next month.
