Now is the Time … Support Medicaid Expansion in Missouri August 4
On August 4, Missouri voters have the opportunity to pass Amendment 2, which will expand Medicaid coverage per the Affordable Care Act to over 200,000 low-income Missourians. The Kansas City Medical Society and the Kansas City Medical Society Foundation have endorsed Amendment 2.
Now is the time … here’s how you can help:
- Join our Medicaid expansion supporter list. See our list of the many Kansas City-area physicians who are supporting
expansion. This list also will be shown in media advertising prior to the August 4 Missouri election. - Spread the word. Help us contact physicians around the area. Email Brandi Fisher, bfisher@kcmedicine.org to get involved as a Medicaid Expansion Ambassador.
- Share these videos: Kansas City physicians discuss Medicaid expansion.
Why We Support Amendment 2:
For our patients:
- Access: Provide access to needed health care for over 200,000 uninsured Missourians.
- Prevention: Enable individuals to address conditions before they become more serious and require more extensive and expensive treatment. Reduce pressure on emergency departments as last resource for treatment.
For our community:
- New funds and jobs: Bring taxpayers’ money back from Washington to invest in local workers and local communities instead of sending it to other states. Medicaid expansion will bring 16,000 new jobs to Missouri and boost the economy by $2.5 billion annually.
- Working families: Prevent workers from missing time off from work by treating conditions sooner.
- Rural health care: Shore up the finances of rural hospitals and prevent further closures–11 Kansas rural hospitals and 10 Missouri rural hospitals have closed since 2010.
More …
- Medicaid Expansion in Missouri Issue Brief (Missouri Foundation for Health)
- How Amendment 2 Benefits Missouri (Yes On 2)
Major Endorsements
Amendment 2 is endorsed by:
Health Forward Foundation
Kansas City Chamber of Commerce
Civic Council of Greater Kansas City
United Way of Greater Kansas City
Missouri Hospital Association
Missouri Chamber of Commerce
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Kansas Update
KCMS and the KCMS Foundation support Medicaid expansion in Kansas as well. While bipartisan legislation was unsuccessful in Kansas this year, Alliance for a Healthy Kansas will be leading efforts to pass Medicaid expansion in 2021. We will keep you posted on these efforts.
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Resource Links
- The Coverage Gap: Uninsured Poor Adults in States That Do Not Expand Medicaid (issue brief from the Henry J. Kaiser Family Fndation)
- Medicaid Expansion in Missouri (Missouri Foundation for Health, January 2020). This issue brief provides a comprehensive case for Medicaid expansion.
- What Kansas Can Learn from Medicaid Expansion in Other States (Kansas Health Institute Report, June 2019)
- Medicaid Expansion Fills Gaps in Maternal Health Coverage Leading to Healthier Mothers and Babies (Georgetown University Health Policy Institute report)
Status of Medicaid Expansion by State
(Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation) (click on image to enlarge)
36 states plus the District of Columbia have expanded Medicaid as of January 2, 2020
