JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. - Supporters of expanding Medicaid eligibility have delivered letters to the leader of a Missouri House budget panel focused on social services, health and mental health.
John Bennett said Thursday there were 1,500 letters from throughout 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 Sue Allen, of Town and Country, 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 cost the first three years with states gradually paying 10 percent. Nixon called for the expansion Thursday in Kirksville.