Missouri Medicaid expansion begins: how to apply and how long it will take

Low-income Missourians who believe they are eligible for Medicaid under the expansion voters approved last year can start applying, Gov. Mike Parson announced Wednesday.

The announcement came a day after a Cole County judge ruled expansion must begin and that the state can no longer deny the newly eligible coverage in the state health care program.

Parson’s administration had asked for a two-month delay in implementing expansion but Cole County Circuit Judge Jon Beetem overruled their concerns. Expanded coverage was to start July 1 under the terms of a constitutional amendment voters passed last August, but was tied up in court this year after the Republican-dominated state legislature refused to budget money for it and Parson subsequently halted the plan.

Now, with the plan upheld by the Missouri Supreme Court, those earning up to 138% of the federal poverty level — or about $17,700 for a single person — can apply for coverage.

But Parson warned it may still take several months for Department of Social Services staff to fully enroll new applicants. The state must update its software, and it could take up to 60 days before the agency can determine whether applicants qualify for the program, he said in a statement. Staff need to be reassigned from other duties to handle the new applications.

That’s because he signed a budget without the funds to cover 75 new employees and the health care costs of the expansion. Parson will have to ask lawmakers to add money to the program midway through the fiscal year, which started July.

The timeline of the enrollment prompted House Minority Leader Crystal Quade, a Springfield Democrat, to accuse the administration of “slow-walking implementation.”

“Under the court order enforcing expansion, these Missourians are entitled to enroll in Medicaid right now, and we encourage them to do so,” she said in a statement. “The administration has a constitutional duty do whatever it takes to enroll the expanded population immediately.”

For those who do end up qualifying, their health care costs will be covered starting from the date they apply. Roughly 275,000 Missourians are expected to be eligible.

WHO CAN APPLY?

The expansion allows those earning up to 138% of the federal poverty level to apply. This income restriction changes depending on the size of the applicant’s household.

For a single person in 2021, the poverty level is $12,880 so the highest income a person can earn and still get coverage is $17,774.

For someone in a family of two, the income limit for Medicaid is $24,039.

For someone in a family of three, the income limit for Medicaid is $30,304.

For someone in a family of four, the income limit for Medicaid is $36,570.

More federal poverty guidelines can be found here.

In the past, non-disabled adults had to have children to be eligible for Medicaid in Missouri. This is no longer the case; the expansion population includes all adults ages 19-64.

HOW TO APPLY

Residents can apply for the program, called MO HealthNet, through the Department of Social Services. They may need to provide a social security number as well as employer and salary information.

The full paper application can be found here.

Residents can also apply online at https://mydssapp.mo.gov/CitizenPortal/application.do or over the phone at 855-373-9994.

This story was originally published August 11, 2021 at 1:26 PM.