KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Missouri Gov. Mike Parson announced the next steps for statewide Medicaid expansion on Wednesday.
Voters approved the expansion in November, but the state argued it was not a constitutional amendment and the disagreement moved to the courtroom.
A lower court originally sided with the state, but the Missouri Supreme Court held that the expansion is constitutional and the lower court ordered the state not to prevent those newly eligible from enrolling in a decision given Tuesday.
"My administration is always going to follow the law and yesterday's court order is no exception," Parson said in a statement. "The necessary funding to cover the health care costs of the expanded population remains the issue. We will continue to work with the General Assembly and DSS to chart a path forward to comply with the court order and keep the MO HealthNet program solvent."
The state is working through hurdles such as appropriations, staffing and computer software changes in order to expand enrollment.
Funding for the expansion did not make it into the FY 22 budget, so Parson said the Department of Social Services is "limited to administering the expanded MO HealthNet program without sufficient staffing or appropriations."
Despite that, Missourians who believe they are newly eligible can visit the DSS website to apply.
Staffing capacity and funding restraints could delay verifying eligibility, according to the state, and those newly eligible may have to be reimbursed at a later date.
