Risking Missourians' health care

The Missouri legislature returned from its annual spring break and wasted no time putting the health care of almost 1 million Missourians in jeopardy.

The Senate recently added an anti-birth control amendment to a mandatory Medicaid spending bill, which prohibits the program from providing some forms of birth control. This restrictive and dangerous amendment is a direct attack on those seeking family planning services and even threatens our whole Medicaid funding by putting the program out of compliance with federal law. Additionally, the legislature added unlawful language to the budget that prevents patients from seeing the provider of their own choice, further threatening Missouri's Medicaid funding.

I am appalled by our legislators risking the health care of almost 1 million Missourians to make a political point. Even as we continue to move through a global health crisis, Missouri politicians seem only to be focused on taking away access to healthcare. Our lawmakers must quit playing political games with our health and focus on protecting and expanding access to care. I urge our lawmakers to turn their attention and energy into fulfilling the will of the people and implementing Medicaid expansion across the state. That is what the majority of Missourians want them to do.

PALOMA SCARPACI, Jackson