AUGUST 5 UPDATE: Missouri becomes the 38th state to expand Medicaid access, with 53% of voters saying “Yes on 2.” Read more here.
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Missouri’s upcoming vote on Medicaid expansion is an opportunity to make a difference for Kansas City’s students, families and schools
On August 4, Kansas Citians head to the polls to vote on whether or not to expand Medicaid coverage statewide for low-income Missourians, aged 19-64.
For those of us invested in the well-being of Kansas City’s students, families, and schools, this vote provides an important opportunity to make a difference both inside and outside the classroom.
Because healthy families = healthy children. And right now, too many adults in too many families, both here within KCPS boundaries and across Missouri, lack reliable access to health care.
A vote in favor of Medicaid expansion will extend healthcare coverage for up to 300,000 low-income Missourians, of which 45,000 to 50,000 are parents who currently don’t have coverage.
So on August 4, please show up for Kansas City students and their families – vote “Yes on 2″ for Medicaid expansion in Missouri.
Medicaid in Missouri – a quick overview
Medicaid provides health insurance for people with low incomes, and is financed through a state-federal partnership. Nationally, one in five Americans, 20%, receives their health coverage through Medicaid. In Missouri, roughly one in six Missourians are covered by Medicaid – primarily those who don’t have employer-sponsored health insurance or are unable to afford private insurance in the individual marketplace.
The majority of Medicaid beneficiaries are children. In Missouri, children make up 61% of all Medicaid enrollees, followed by Persons with Disabilities (18%) and the Elderly (10%).
But what’s most striking about Missouri Medicaid, when you start looking into the eligibility criteria, is just how hard it is to qualify. This is because Missouri has the lowest level of adult eligibility for Medicaid allowed under federal law.
To be eligible for Medicaid as a custodial parent in Missouri, a family of three must earn less than $4,778 a year, or $400/month. That’s just 22% of the Federal Poverty Level (see below for a chart of 2020 Annual Poverty Guidelines).
And non-disabled, low-wage Missouri adults without children don’t qualify for assistance at all.
Voting “Yes on 2″ will expand access to Missouri adults aged 19-64 with an income at or below 133% of the Federal Poverty Level. (Because of the way this is calculated – yes, Medicaid is very complicated – this actually turns out to be 138% of the Federal Poverty Level).
But practically speaking this means that a custodial parent of a family of three making up to $29,974 will now be Medicaid-eligible. Non-disabled low wage adults without children will be eligible if they make up to $17,609/year.
Why does Medicaid expansion matter for KC students and public schools?
It’s probably no surprise that individuals who have access to reliable healthcare tend to be…healthier. Parents with Medicaid coverage are more likely to pursue preventive care for themselves. They’re also more likely to pursue this care, such as well-child visits and vaccinations, for their children.
And they’re less likely to experience illness that leads to chronic absenteeism, loss of wages or de-stabilizing medical debt, which can lead to increased student mobility, lower academic outcomes, and social/emotional challenges that our public schools – both traditional public and public charter – are too often expected to solve on their own.
Medicaid expansion also matters for schools because Black and Latinx students make up almost 85% of all K-12 public school students within KCPS boundaries. Given the disproportionate numbers of Black and Latinx workers in low-wage, hourly jobs, we know that a higher percentage of individuals within these communities lack access to affordable care, resulting in underlying medical conditions that leave them more susceptible to illness and disease.
We see the long-term effects of this lack of access in dramatically lower life-expectancy in Kansas City’s lowest-income zip codes and, most recently, in the disproportionate impact of Covid-19 on Kansas City’s Black community: Black people make up only 12% of Missouri’s population, but 29% of all Covid-19 cases – and 34% of deaths.
By expanding Medicaid access for adults statewide, we have an opportunity to begin addressing these race and ethnicity-based gaps in healthcare access, improving the health of our families, students, and community as a whole.
Healthy families + healthy children = healthier schools & communities
Thirty-seven states, plus the District of Columbia, have already adopted Medicaid expansion, showing the benefits of expansion, and giving Missouri the advantage of learning from other states’ experiences.
Research shows that expansion leads to increased healthcare access and better outcomes; an increase in state savings (by offsetting state costs in other areas); and reductions in uncompensated care costs, leading to employment gains and labor market growth.
And a recent analysis published by The Commonwealth Fund concluded that “Studies that examine the fiscal impact of Medicaid expansion on specific states or the effects across all states find consistent results: expansion leads to significant budget savings and significant revenue increases (even without imposing additional taxes).”
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The past few months have shown, in stark relief, the enormous challenges we face as a country in addressing the cumulative effects of systemic racism and growing economic inequality in our communities. On so many different fronts, the challenges we face are so big, and so daunting, it’s hard to know how or where to begin in trying to make a difference.
On August 4 we have a unique opportunity to vote for a measure that will directly impact the lives of children and families, both here in Kansas City and across our state, by improving access to quality healthcare state-wide.
For our students, for our families, for our schools – show up on August 4th and Vote “Yes on 2” for Healthcare for Missouri.
For a list of organizations that support Medicaid expansion, click here.
