The following is the response of Andrea Routh to Governor Nixon’s State of the State address:
Governor Nixon was once again right to focus his State of the State message on the importance of expanding Missouri’s Medicaid program. Extending health coverage to hundreds of thousands of working Missourians that currently don’t meet our state’s eligibility guidelines –among the most restrictive in the country – should be a no-brainer for the General Assembly this session.
Instead, some legislators are poised instead to leave billions of our tax dollars on the table, eager to score election year points with narrow interest groups. They steadfastly refuse to accept federal funding to help working families in our state gain access to vital medical services. But Missouri accepts federal funding for bridges, roads and schools every year – why not do the same to strengthen the state’s economy and save lives? With more than a quarter of a million Missourians to see improved access to health care, Medicaid expansion means not just improving lives but saving them as well.
There are many reasons for the legislature to act on Medicaid expansion and only one holding us back: politics. Medicaid expansion would save lives, strengthen the economy and provide much-needed financial stability to working families that remain just one accident or illness from ruin. In the weeks and months to come I can only hope our elected officials listen to the needs and voices of the people – who overwhelmingly spoke in favor of Medicaid expansion at town halls across the state last year – and at long last expand Medicaid in Missouri.