The Republican Establishment Plumps for Medicaid Expansion in Missouri: The View from The Roasterie LXXXVI: January 30, 2014
David Lieb: Ex-Missouri GOP Senator Kit Bond Now Lobbying For Medicaid Expansion: "As a Republican senator, Kit Bond voted against... [Obamacare.] Now... Bond is pushing Republican legislators in his home state of Missouri to embrace a key provision of the law by expanding Medicaid eligibility.
Bond said Friday that... "I'm getting involved in Medicaid reform now because if our State sits on the sidelines, I'm concerned hospitals in rural and inner city Missouri won't survive."... The Missouri Chamber of Commerce and Industry declined to say how much it is paying Bond's consulting firm.... Bond already has met with Republican legislative leaders and Democratic Gov. Jay Nixon about the potential to expand Medicaid eligibility. "He understands the issues very well, and we're trying to capitalize on his stature, his relationships that he has and his reputation as a one of the best statesmen that this state will ever have," Mehan said.
Bond voted against the federal health care law when Congress passed it four years ago. He said in December 2009 that President Barack Obama's health care plan would fail to lower costs or improve the quality of health care. He also criticized the legislation as being "chock full of political payoffs" for Democratic senators so that the party could obtain the votes necessary to stop a Republican filibuster.... Bond's consulting firm said he has long supported a strong social safety net and has consistently fought for Missouri to receive a healthy share of federal funding....
[Governor Jay] Nixon's administration has said Missouri could get $1.7 billion of federal aid next year if it expands Medicaid. Mehan said the Chamber of Commerce doesn't support the federal health care law, but nonetheless believes Missouri should expand its Medicaid program because the influx of federal money would help the economy.... "It's the opportunity to reform the Medicaid system and make it more cost-efficient," Mehan said. "And with regards to attracting that $2 billion into the state of Missouri, we make the business case for that. He can articulate that we've done this in the past with partnerships between the federal government and states."
$1.7 billion is 0.6% of Missouri's GSP: with a multiplier of 3, Missouri as a state will be 2% poorer in 2014-2015 without than it would be with Medicaid expansion...
