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a cce s s H ea l t h N ews . n e t M a rc h 2 0 2 6 Volume 11 | Issue No. 104 6 aH Medicaid Expansion Benefiits Rural and Urban Communities, Near- Retirees, Veterans, Essential Workers, and the Working Poor – 230,000 Missourians A yes vote for Amendment 2 on August 4, 2020 would extend benefits to more than 230,000 hardworking Missourians, many of whom make up the state's essential workforce. Missouri Medicaid expansion will deliver health care coverage to individuals earning up to $18,000 per year, and $30,000 for a family of three. This access is critical to Black Missourians, who have been disproportionately impacted by the coronavirus. Nationally, Black people are infected at a rate 2.4 times higher than Whites and 2.2 times higher than Latinxs and Asians. To date, more than 26,000 Black people have died from COVID-19. This number is expected to increase as new cases continue to surge. According to Healthcare for Missouri, an expanded version of Medicaid would cover 36,000 more Black Missourians. This makes a yes vote on Amendment 2 even more imperative. Additionally, a yes vote on Amendment 2 will provide health care to [working] Missourians whose employers do not offer health care, or who have lost their jobs and face economic uncertainty. Prior to the pandemic, Missouri's uninsured rate was 9.4%. With pandemic-related job losses, The Urban Institute estimates the uninsured rolls will increase by more than 40% in non-expansion states, compared with less than a quarter in expansion states. If a bright red state like Oklahoma can pass Medicaid expansion, certainly Missouri can become the 38th state to deliver health care to individuals who need it the most. The state also benefits. According to a study commissioned by the Missouri Foundation for Health (MFH) and conducted by Regional Economic Models, Inc., (REMI), it is projected Amendment 2 would bring more than 16,000 new jobs to the state per year, boost economic output by $2.5 billion, and increase personal income in the state by $1.1 billion, or more than $500 per household. REMI also projects nine in10 of the new jobs will pay more than $15 per hour. Even after COVID-19 ripped the veil off health care disparities among people of color, the current administration remains motivated to repeal the Affordable Care Act (ACA), which included 203,000 Missouri enrollees in 2020. If successful, this could mean many more uninsured Missourians with no access to health care. Published in July 2020

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