Rasheen Aldridge

State Representative
78th District

Aug. 21, 2021

The Honorable Mike Parson

Governor of Missouri
Missouri Capitol, Room 216
Jefferson City, MO 65101

Governor Parson:

Last August, the people spoke in a clear voice that they wanted to expand Medicaid
coverage to more Missourians. After repeated legislative efforts to ignore the will of the
voters, after your own administration was effectively strong-armed to rescind a state plan
amendment to undo Medicaid expansion at the federal level, and after a months-long battle
in our state’s courts, Judge Jon Beetem handed down a final ruling this morning that the
state cannot deny Medicaid coverage to the newly eligible per our Constitution.

However, the people of this state cannot afford to wait a second longer for the realization of
expansion after having their decision deferred by a government that occasionally seemed
hellbent on undermining their choice. We still have work to do on that front, given the
majority’s limited funding for Medicaid in our state with the passage of the FY 2022 budget.

I implore you to call a special session as soon as possible to provide adequate funds for our
state’s healthcare program to cover the nearly 300,000 Missourians expected to be newly
covered under Medicaid.

We have already put expansion off for too long, even before the drama of the last year.
Medicaid expansion would have helped our state during the COVID-19 pandemic, especially
benefitting people of color and Missourians who live in high poverty communities by
providing greater access to much needed medical care.

While Medicaid is often derided as a government handout, I have seen firsthand how better
healthcare systems make individuals strong and healthy who go on to strengthen and heal
their own communities. Access to quality healthcare is not cheap, but it comes with notable
benefits, like helping people with disabilities have greater access to care, greater health
care options in rural areas, and decreased racial inequities in coverage rates. Medicaid
expansion helps the people who need it most and makes them more productive members
of our society. This is not a handout, but a hand-up.

We have a responsibility now to do what should have been done earlier this year during
the budget process. You hold the authority to ensure the General Assembly does not let this
essential program go unfunded. I encourage you to use it.

Sincerely,

Rasheen Aldridge
State Representative
District 78