Gov. Jay Nixon said Thursday he still thinks expanding the Medicaid program in Missouri is a good idea - even though the Legislature's Republican leaders aren't interested.
The governor has been promoting the expansion idea for several weeks.
It's part of the federal Affordable Care Act - which some call "Obamacare" - and Congress promised to pay for the first three years of the expansion, as part of the controversial 2010 health care law.
"We stand to lose $250 million a year if we step away from this," Nixon told reporters after the Governor's Prayer Breakfast Thursday morning. "Our federal partners are going to fund this - (and) it's the right thing to do."
But new Senate President Tom Dempsey doesn't share Nixon's confidence.