JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — Fresh off a speaking tour that yielded Medicaid expansion supporters rallying at his events, House Speaker Tim Jones, R-Eureka, announced the formation of two more legislative panels to “study the transformation of Missouri’s system of Medicaid.”
Jones announced the formation of two bodies during a press conference Thursday morning flanked by Reps. Jay Barnes, R-Jefferson City, and Noel Torpey, R-Independence.
The first panel, “Citizens and Legislators Working Group on Medicaid Eligibility and Reform,” will be chaired by Torpey, and will consist of legislators and special interests as well as Missouri citizens from “backgrounds of healthcare and faith, as well as average citizens” according to Torpey.
Torpey told The Missouri Times his group would make at least 5 appearances throughout the state to hear testimony from Missouri citizens, take questions and conduct meetings on the topic of reforming and expanding Medicaid eligibility, as called for by the federal Affordable Care Act.
“It’s very important we get the input of regular Missourians,” Torpey said. “We’re going to travel and talk to people, we want to hear them tell us directly what about this program works, what doesn’t work? What can we do to make it cheaper and more efficient? How can we provide healthcare without reckless expansion of government?”
Torpey and his group will complete a report by August on the topic. The report will be submitted to the second committee that Jones named today.
The House Interim Committee on Medicaid Transformation will consist strictly of legislators and will handle the task of molding Torpey’s group’s findings into legislative language. Barnes — who worked extensively on the main GOP vehicle for Medicaid reform, House Bill 700, this past year — will chair the committee.
“We believe a better goal is to reform and transform our system of Medicaid,” Jones told reporters. “It is a goal that cannot be accomplished by blindly throwing more money at a broken program.”
Jones said that he refused to put a “billion dollar band aid” on a “broken” Medicaid system. The Speaker said that the formation of two committees was necessary to accomplish the goal of making significant changed to Medicaid. With one body focused on public input and the other doing the legislative work, Jones said, better decisions will be made.
“The Medicaid discussion has been dominated by political rhetoric and the talking points of career bureaucrats who only care about growing the size of government,” Jones said. “We need to engage citizens from all walks of life in a dialogue that will focus on substantive reforms that will transform our current broken system.”
Collin Reischman was the Managing Editor for The Missouri Times, and a graduate of Webster University with a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism.
