Missouri Supreme Court Sides with Voters: Medicaid Expansion Will Proceed

The Fairness Project supported the Healthcare for Missouri campaign that successfully passed Missouri’s Medicaid expansion constitutional amendment in August 2020. Medicaid coverage for 275,000 Missourians was set to begin on July 1, 2021, but has been delayed due to Missouri Governor Mike Parson’s refusal to implement the law.

In today’s unanimous ruling, the Missouri Supreme Court sided with Missouri voters and mandated that the state begin enrolling Missourians in Medicaid expansion as constitutionally required.

“Today’s ruling is a victory not only for the 275,000 Missourians who will now get the health care they need and deserve, it is also a victory for democracy,”said Kelly Hall, executive director of The Fairness Project. “With alarming frequency, partisan politicians across the country are attempting to overturn the will of voters, and this is a crystal clear message that elections matter.”

“Ballot measures are the most democratic of America’s democratic institutions — voters get to decide on matters of the utmost importance, like health care for their families and neighbors, directly at the ballot box,” Hall said. “Time and time again, in red states and blue states, people are voting for healthcare, higher wages, paid leave, and economic justice. Politicians may find this inconvenient, but, as Missouri’s Supreme Court affirmed today, the will of the voters cannot be ignored.”

Missouri marks The Fairness Project’s sixth successful Medicaid expansion ballot measure, following victories in Maine, Idaho, Nebraska, Utah, and Oklahoma. Together these successful ballot campaigns have provided health coverage to over 870,000 Americans. The Fairness Project is currently supporting South Dakotans Decide Healthcare, a nonpartisan coalition advancing a 2022 Medicaid expansion amendment to South Dakota’s constitution.