Governor Puts Medicaid Expansion Vote on August Primary Ballot

(Farmington) Governor Mike Parson is switching a Medicaid expansion ballot measure from the November general election to the lower-turnout August primary.

The Republican governor says expanding government-funded health coverage will have a serious impact on the state’s budget.

State Auditor Nicole Galloway, a Democrat running for governor, says Parson has put his own political needs ahead of Missourians.

She says Parson and his special interest allies have already started to mislead voters, telling them they must choose between funding our schools or access to health care.

The Missouri Hospital Association has been pushing for Medicaid Expansion for several years now.

Missouri is one of just a few states to not expand Medicaid.

On Friday, Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft certified the initiative petition, putting the Medicaid Expansion vote officially on a ballot in 2020.