Jefferson City, MO – State lawmakers have until Friday to reach a compromise on healthcare expansion, after the Missouri House passed its plan last night.
The House bill covers about 20-thousand Missourians who simply cannot get insurance. The Senate's version, which closely mirrors the plan proposed by Governor Jay Nixon, expands Medicaid eligibility to cover an additional 35-thousand low-income, working parents.
Columbia Democrat Mary Still says the House's version will drain the state's high-risk insurance pool.
STILL: "At the very time we are making progress, let's not in the state of Missouri, pardon the pun, put a black snake in the transformer and shut out the lights on health care in Missouri."
Still was referring to the power outage that plagued the Capitol building yesterday. The bill passed by a narrow margin, with support and opposition from both parties.