Medicaid expansion earns another mark of disapproval
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Medicaid expansion earns another mark of disapproval

Date: March 13, 2013
By: Nick Thompson
State Capitol Bureau
Links: HB 11, HB 627, SB 349

Intro: 
Missouri has little compromise in the General Assembly on whether or not to expand Medicaid as prescribed in President Obama's health law.
RunTime:  0:42
OutCue:  SOC

Wrap: Democrats tried twice to add Medicaid expansion into next year's budget in a House committee session, but fiscally concerned Republicans rejected their plans.  

St. Louis County Democrat Jill Schuup hoped to get it passed so the full chamber could decide.

Actuality:  SCHUUP1.WAV
Run Time:  00:11
Description: "We should pass this so that we can get this discussion out on the floor. I know that there has been a committee discussion and that's great. But this needs to be a discussion amongst all 163 of us."

But in the same afternoon, a Senate committee also voted down an expansion along party lines.

The Governor has traveled the state to build support and many interest groups have backed the plan.

But the GOP continues to say NO.

Reporting from the state capitol, I'm Nick Thompson.

Intro: 
Committees in both the Missouri House and Senate have rejected a provision in the President's health law and proponents will now have to get creative to get the issue on the floor.
RunTime:  0:41
OutCue:  SOC

Wrap: Republicans continue to display disdain for Medicaid expansion, voting it down along party lines in Senate and House committees in the same afternoon.

A University of Missouri study estimated an expansion would create work for 24,000 Missourians.

But as a Budget Committee member, Columbia Republican Caleb Rowden says the math gets tricky in 2020 when Missouri would have to pay 10 percent of the cost.

Actuality:  ROWDEN.WAV
Run Time:  00:08
Description: "It's still my opinion that we're going to have to pillage education funding to make this work."

Democrats now will have to tack the expansion on to other legislation if they want the full chamber to debate the issue.  

Reporting from the state capitol, I'm Nick Thompson.