In spite of the passage of two statewide ballot initiatives opposing the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and consistent opposition in the General Assembly to Medicaid expansion, Missouri’s Medicaid services are forced to operate under the ACA’s new eligibility standards.
The ACA requires states to modify their Medicaid income eligibility standards to be equivalent to the Modified Adjusted Gross Income (MAGI) standards.
In Missouri, this means that there will no longer be an asset test to determine if individuals are eligible for Medicaid and child support payments will not be counted toward their income. The income of stepparents, however, will now be considered.
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Missourians have long resisted the federal overreach of the ACA. The 2010 Missouri Health Care Freedom ballot initiative, which aimed to block the federal mandate forcing people to buy health insurance, passed with over 70% of the vote. In 2012, more than 60% of Missourians voted for a referendum to prohibit the governor from establishing a healthcare exchange.
Despite the clear will of the people in Missouri, proponents of Medicaid expansion are trying to further entangle Missouri with the federal government’s poorly-run services and cumbersome regulations.