Growth slows in Missouri Medicaid, food stamps

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) - The number of low-income people receiving food and health assistance care from Missouri continues to rise, though the rate of growth has slowed during the past year.

Figures from the Department of Social Services show more than 944,000 people received food stamps in May, the latest month for which statistics are available. That's up 16 percent from the same month two years ago, but up less than 5 percent from last year.

Missouri had slightly more than 900,000 people enrolled in the Medicaid health care program. That's up almost 7 percent from May 2009, but just 1 percent from a year ago.