Is Anyone Talking About Medicaid Anymore?

Congress has been nice enough to pass an economic recovery package that includes a significant increase in the federal Medicaid match.

For states that have reasonable eligibility levels for Medicaid – you know, like the poverty level – this will allow them to keep their eligibility at current levels instead of being forced to make cuts.

Missouri, however, with one of the lowest eligibility levels in the nation, is going to use those extra funds for other programs - or worse, not take the money at all.

Now, if the General Assembly actually was interested in stimulating the economy, they would invest in health care. Not just because health care spending hits main street faster than any other state spending, but because the Federal Government is willing to pay for more than 60% of the cost. So they can spend significantly less State Revenue than they would for any other program and still inject money into the Missouri economy.

I guess the real question is, why aren’t any of Missouri’s elected officials talking about restoring Medicaid? As I recall, quite a few of them ran for office on that exact platform.