CCMH Supports Medicaid Expansion Amendment

July 02, 2020

CARROLLTON, Mo. – On Tuesday, Aug. 4, Missourians will get to vote on Amendment 2, also known as Missouri Medicaid Expansion.

“Now more than ever, we need to ensure that no Missourian has to choose between paying for life-saving care and putting food on the table,” said Jeff Tindle, CCMH CEO. “We need to help keep rural hospitals open so that Missourians have access to care no matter where they live, and we need to protect frontline healthcare jobs at a time when we need them most.”

Medicaid expansion will help hardworking Missourians who have jobs that do not come with health insurance – many of whom earn less than $18,000. The expansion would cover Missourians who currently make too much to qualify for Medicaid, but too little to afford private insurance. These are families trapped in the coverage gap. This group includes thousands of uninsured veterans and their families, working women who do not have access to preventative care, 36,000 African-Americans, more than 50,000 parents and 18,000 near-retirees. Medicaid Expansion will cover about 230,000 Missourians.

In rural Missouri, 10 hospitals have closed since 2014, putting lives at risk. Amendment 2 would help protect frontline healthcare jobs and keep endangered rural hospitals open to ensure that all Missourians have access to emergency care.

Medicaid expansion will save our state money. Right now, Missouri is sending billions of tax dollars to Washington and paying for healthcare in other states like New York and California.

A January 2020 research report for the Missouri Hospital Association and the Missouri Primary Care Association concluded that an expansion program in Missouri can be designed to budget for savings and revenue opportunities that significantly exceed the state’s cost of implementation.

What some people do not know is that Missouri is already paying for Medicaid expansion, but we are not getting the benefits right now. Missouri’s tax dollars are going to places like New York and California, instead of helping people here in Missouri, keeping our rural hospitals open, and boosting our economy.

Researchers at Washington University have shown Medicaid expansion will save Missouri more than $1 billion by 2026 because it brings our tax dollars home from Washington and reduces many of the healthcare costs the state of Missouri pays now. The Missouri Auditor’s Office projects similar savings.

Missouri is responsible for a greater share of healthcare costs right now than under Medicaid Expansion. For example, instead of paying 35 percent for a pregnant woman who is already eligible for Medicaid, the state would pay 10 percent under the Medicaid Expansion.

Medicaid Expansion is anticipated to create more than $2.5 billion in new economic growth and create more than 26,000 new jobs in its first five years. Nearly 80 percent of the job growth would be outside the healthcare industry, with most of the new jobs generated outside the state’s big cities.

Other states have already seen this economic benefit. In Louisiana, the governor’s office reports that expansion funding created nearly 20,000 new jobs. In Colorado, the infusion of new federal money for expansion supported over 31,000 new jobs in just one fiscal year. In Ohio, Medicaid expansion led to sharp increases in employment among the newly insured.

With Medicaid Expansion, the state does not have to raise taxes or divert funding from other essentials such as school and transportation. Medicaid Expansion will save Missouri money and actually free up general revenue funds for other priorities, such as K-12 education, transportation and law enforcement. Medicaid Expansion will bring more than $1 billion of our tax dollars home from Washington every year and reduce many of the healthcare costs the state of Missouri pays now.

“Study after study has shown this to be the case,” Tindle said. “We’ve also seen other states like Louisiana, Kentucky, Arkansas, Michigan and Montana deliver significant cost savings from Medicaid expansion.”

For more information about the services at Carroll County Memorial Hospital, visit our website http://www.carrollcountyhospital.org or call 660-542-1695.

Carroll County Memorial Hospital (CCMH), the area’s premier healthcare resource, is a 25-bed Critical Access facility serving Carrollton and the surrounding communities. It offers 24-hour emergency care, specialized services such as advanced diagnostics, post-acute skilled care (swing bed) and comprehensive family care. CCMH is dedicated to the Health and Well Being of All We Serve. For more information, visit carrollcountyhospital.org.