JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) - Supporters of expanding Medicaid eligibility have delivered 1,500 letters to the leader of a Missouri House budget panel focused on social services, health and mental health.
John Bennett, of Jefferson City, said Thursday the letters come from across Missouri. Bennett is a retired clergyman and says expanding Medicaid is a "moral imperative."
Republicans have raised concerns about the expansion's potential long-range costs. House member Susan Allen accepted the letters and says legislators are looking to do what is best for all Missourians.
Gov. Jay Nixon says the expansion eventually would cover an additional 300,000 people as called for under the federal health care law. The federal government would pay the full cost the first three years with states gradually paying 10 percent. Nixon called for the expansion Thursday in Kirksville.