House panel OKs proposed Medicaid constitutional amendment

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — A House committee on Monday approved a proposed constitutional amendment that would change how Medicaid is funded in Missouri.

The Republican-backed proposed amendment comes after 53% of Missouri voters approved a constitutional amendment in 2020 to expand Medicaid funding, after the GOP-led Legislature for years refused to do so.

And a Missouri Supreme Court ruling in July forced the Legislature to fund the expansion, making thousands more state residents eligible.

On Monday, a House budget panel advanced the proposed amendment to the full house, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported.

If approved, the proposed constitutional change would give the Legislature the power to make annual appropriations for Medicaid, meaning lawmakers could choose not to fund the expansion.

House Budget Committee Chairman Rep. Cody Smith, R-Carthage, said the amendment would not necessarily mean all expansion costs would be cut. He argued it would allow lawmakers more flexibility to manage Medicaid spending.

Democrats said the proposal is another effort by Republicans to hurt poor people who need health coverage.

The proposal also includes a requirement for Medicaid recipients to work or perform community engagement.