Houston, MO— On August 4, Missouri voters will decide whether or not to support Medicaid Expansion and Texas County Memorial Hospital wants local voters to understand what expanding Medicaid would mean for our area.
Medicaid Expansion is meant to target individuals and families who are working, but cannot afford health insurance. It would also benefit many senior citizens.
There are over 230,000 people statewide who would qualify for Medicaid if it were expanded, many of whom live and work in our area.
The majority of the dollars that TCMH writes off every month are directly from self-pay patients, those who are unable to afford insurance premiums through their employer, the open market, and/or make too much money to qualify for Missouri Medicaid.
Medicaid Expansion would help reduce the hospital’s uncompensated care costs and those enrolled would be more likely to seek care, leading to better health outcomes.
In the last four years, uncompensated care costs at TCMH total $28,750,666. Although the dollar amounts written off are staggering, the 23 percent increase from 2016 to 2019 is also a scary trend in the wrong direction.
TCMH has nearly two times more uncompensated care than the average hospital in Missouri due to individuals and families who currently do not qualify for Medicaid.
As Missouri Medicaid eligibility stands today, adults who have no children do not qualify at all and custodial parents are only eligible if they earn no more than 21 percent of the federal poverty level, which translates to $4,479 per year for a family of three.
Medicaid Expansion would provide eligibility to working parents above the current income limit and childless adults with income up to 138 percent of the FPL, translating to $17,236 for an individual and $35,535 for a family of four.
Expanding Medicaid for low-income, hardworking Missourians would provide a much-needed lifeline that is long overdue and reduce uncompensated care dollars across the state.
Currently, Missouri citizens pay 30 percent of the costs associated with each person covered by Medicaid. If Medicaid Expansion passes in the state, Missouri citizens would only pay for 10 percent of the costs.
This is not a new tax. We are already paying for Medicaid expansion, but we not reaping the benefits of it and our tax dollars are going to other states to help pay for their Medicaid Expansion. If Medicaid Expansion is passed, it would bring those tax dollars back to our state.
According to the Kaiser Family Foundation and the Center for Health Economics Policy, Medicaid Expansion creates a positive financial benefit for each state. Currently 37 other states have passed Medicaid Expansion. None of the states participating in the program have reversed their decision.
Since 2014, ten rural Missouri hospitals who have faced challenges with uncompensated care similar to TCMH have closed. Please consider the facts when casting your vote on August 4.
