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Parson: Task Force Looking Into ACA Waiver May Consider Medicaid Expansion

Governor Mike Parson
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File photo
Credit Governor Mike Parson / File photo
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File photo

Governor Mike Parson signed an executive order earlier this summer creating a taskforce to look into applying for a waiver from the federal government on the Affordable Care Act, or "Obamacare."   These waivers allow states to bypass some federal rules and instead use their own creative ways to use the federal money.  

In Springfield Wednesday, Parson spoke with KSMU's Jennifer Moore about what this could mean for how Missourians get their health care.

You can hear the interview here:

Some states have applied for a waiver that allowed them to expand Medicaid on their own, innovative terms. Medicaid is the government health care coverage program for low-income and disabled Americans.

When the US Supreme Court ruled on the legality of the ACA, it upheld most of the law -- but ruled that states had the option of implementing the part that expanded Medicaid. 

Some states that have expanded Medicaid have made a business case for doing so – saying a healthier workforce, including the lower-income workforce, is better for business.  Chambers of Commerce groups and hospitals in Missouri have, largely, supported expanding the program to cover more people, particularly low-income childless adults.

Parson's executive order cites that in 43 Missouri counties, more than 15 percent of residents are uninsured. Many of those are in rural Missouri, where resources are slim and salaries are typically lower on average.

The executive order sets a Jan. 31, 2020 time limit for the taskforce to complete the recommendations on asking the fed for a waiver from the ACA.  

Copyright 2021 KSMU. To see more, visit KSMU.

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As the Journalist-in-Residence at Missouri State University, Jennifer teaches undergraduate and graduate students, oversees a semester-long, team reporting project, and contributes weekly stories to KSMU Radio in the area of public affairs journalism.