State asks judge to delay Missouri Medicaid expansion for two more months

The Missouri Supreme Court ruled last month that the state must expand Medicaid as voters approved in 2020.

Now it’s just a question of when.

On Friday, attorneys representing plaintiffs who would have qualified for coverage urged Cole County Circuit Court Judge Jon Beetem to effectuate what the state’s highest court ordered and prohibit the Department of Social Services from denying eligible individuals from enrolling or treating them differently.

“‘Don’t deny,’ that’s what we’re asking you to tell them,” attorney Chuck Hatfield told Beetem. “Don’t deny.”

However, attorneys for the state argue implementing Medicaid expansion for the approximately 275,000 newly eligible residents will be a tedious, complicated process that will require at least two additional months of preparation to stand up the computer systems and personnel needed.

Read more: https://missouriindependent.com/2021/08/06/state-asks-judge-to-delay-missouri-medicaid-expansion-for-two-more-months/