Hundreds rally for Medicaid expansion at Missouri Capitol

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Hundreds of people rallied at the Missouri Capitol on Thursday to call on lawmakers to expand Medicaid eligibility for low-income adults, despite resistance from Republican leaders who have called the issue a nonstarter.

The roughly 300 people -- members of the Missouri Medicaid Coalition -- chanted, "Have the debate!" and marched through the halls surrounding the House and Senate, delaying the upper chamber an hour on the last day of session before lawmakers left for their spring break.

Capitol Police roamed the halls, and the main House floor galleries were closed to the public, but the protests were peaceful. There were "absolutely no arrests, issues or problems of any kind," Department of Public Safety spokesman Mike O'Connell said in an email.

The protest included some religious leaders.

"For all those living sicker and dying younger because of politics, we pray," said the Rev. Molly Housh Gordon of the Unitarian Universalist Church in Columbia, Missouri, as dozens circled her with bowed heads.

Medicaid is a joint federal and state program that provides health care for low-income residents.

Under the terms of President Barack Obama's health-care law, states can receive enhanced federal funding if they raise eligibility for adults earning up to 138 percent of the federal poverty level, or $33,465 for a family of four.

Missouri's current eligibility for adults is the lowest allowed under federal law -- $4,104 annually for that same family of four.

If Missouri were to raise eligibility to the threshold in the federal law, as many as 300,000 people could qualify for care, and the state could get more than $2 billion annually in additional federal Medicaid funding.

Although Democratic Gov. Jay Nixon and members of his party repeatedly have pushed the issue, most Republican lawmakers seem unlikely to bend.

Senate President Pro Tem Tom Dempsey said later Thursday he remains doubtful the Legislature will take any action on Medicaid expansion this year.

Efforts by House Democrats to work an expansion into next year's budget failed. Republican lawmakers have criticized the program as susceptible to fraud and suggested an expansion ultimately could cost the state more money.

Aside from Democratic Sen. Paul LeVota of Independence, Missouri, who asked for a debate on the issue, there was no discussion Thursday on expanding Medicaid eligibility in the House or Senate.

Associated Press writer Marie French contributed to this report.