Medicaid Expansion
Helping to fill the coverage gap.
About the initiative
Medicaid is a key piece of the safety net in Missouri. The program, known in the state as MO HealthNet, allows lower-income Missourians to see a doctor when they are sick, get check-ups, buy medications, and go to the hospital. Having health insurance helps people maintain their health, go to work, and take care of their families.
Why it matters
Now that Medicaid has expanded in the state, awareness, outreach, and partnerships are essential to help people get and stay covered. In 2023, after a three-year pandemic-era pause, Medicaid eligibility renewals have restarted. Moving forward, is essential that we help prevent thousands of Missourians from losing coverage due to administrative errors.
How we’re changing things
Early in 2020, after years of studying the impacts of expansion, we made our stance official. Given the weight of evidence from other states, as well as Missouri-specific research we commissioned in 2019, we could say confidently that expanding Medicaid in Missouri just made sense. This pro-expansion position was further bolstered in 2020 by our release of the Regional Economic Models, Inc. report, which detailed numerous economic advantages to expansion. In the spring of 2020, we launched the communications campaign Makes Sense Missouri to spread the word about the many benefits of expansion. On August 4 of that year, voters from across the state made it loud and clear that they too support Medicaid expansion.
Now, we are collaborating with a wide range of partners and the state to help facilitate full and timely implementation. This includes promoting and supporting the newly eligible to enroll in Medicaid, as well as working to improve access to quality health services for the expansion population. This effort includes a targeted awareness campaign, enrollment assistance for newly eligible Missourians who are not currently connected to a primary care home, and a systems-level project to increase the availability of care for select populations. It is a priority that through this work we seek to eliminate health inequities by race/ethnicity, sexual orientation/gender identity, immigration/refugee status, and geography.
Medicaid Expansion Message Guide – English
Medicaid Expansion Message Guide – Spanish
(The guide is available in 13 more languages here.)
Publications
Missouri Medicaid Enrollment Dashboard
Explore this interactive dashboard of public data from the MO HealthNet monthly management reports, monthly managed care reports, and monthly caseload counter.
Medicaid Unwinding Impact (May 2024)
Medicaid Impact on Payer Mix at Hospitals (Sept 2023)
Get in Touch
Reach out to one of our contacts for more information.
