Budget clears House without Medicaid expansion, heads to Senate

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Intro:	The Missouri House of Representatives has passed it's version of a new state budget. But that budget leaves out an expansion of Medicaid mandated by the federal health care law.
RunTime:	0:44
OutCue:	SOC

Wrap: The budget cleared the House with mostly bipartisan approval--except for the expansion.

Republicans who control the House say they're worried about the expansion's cost. The GOP says that growing the state's insurance program for the poor could jack up what the state spends on health care in future years.

But Democrats, like St. Louis County Representative Jeanne Kirkton, say that not doing the expansion means that Missouri would give up millions of dollars that it's entitled to receive.

Actuality:	KIRKBUD.WAV
Run Time:	00:09
Description: "We have people in the water here in Missouri and we are letting the ship full of life preservers go by and that is the biggest disappointment to me."

The budget now goes to the state Senate.

Reporting from the state Capitol, I'm Wes Duplantier. Newsradio 1120. KMOX.

Intro:	The Missouri House of Representatives has passed it's version of a new state budget. But that budget leaves out an expansion of Medicaid mandated by the federal health care law.
RunTime:	0:46
OutCue:	SOC

Wrap:

The budget cleared the House with mostly bipartisan approval--except for the expansion.

Democratic lawmakers and Gov. Jay Nixon have been hounding Republicans to make the program bigger so that the state can get millions of dollars in reimbursements from the federal government.

But the federal government would only cover the full cost of the expansion for its first three years. And Republicans like Columbia Representative Caleb Rowden say the expansion could greatly increase Missouri's health care spending in future years.

Actuality:	ROWBUD.WAV
Run Time:	00:08
Description: "I do not think that we should take on such a monumental task having been bullied and backed into a corner by the federal government."

The budget now goes to the state Senate.

Reporting from the state Capitol, I'm Wes Duplantier. Newsradio 1120. KMOX.

Intro:	The Missouri House of Representatives has passed it's version of a new state budget. But that budget leaves out an expansion of Medicaid mandated by the federal health care law.
RunTime:	0:49
OutCue:	SOC

Wrap:

The budget cleared the House with mostly bipartisan approval--except for the expansion.

Republicans who control the House say they're worried about the expansion's cost. The GOP says that growing the state's insurance program for the poor could greatly what the state spends on health care in future years.

But Democrats say that not doing the expansion will hurt poor Missourians. House Minority Leader Jake Hummel, of St. Louis, says that lawmakers get taxpayer-funded health insurance and he said poorer citizens should too.

Actuality:	HUMBUD.WAV
Run Time:	00:12
Description: "But to turn our backs on Missourians, to say that we think that we as a legislative body deserve to have our taxpayers pay for our health insurance, but that they do not deserve to have health insurance, that's wrong for this state."

The budget now goes to the state Senate.

Reporting from the state Capitol, I'm Wes Duplantier. Newsradio 1120. KMOX.