North County Incorporated, along with the Chambers of Commerce serving the North St. Louis County Community, including Greater North County Chamber, the Northwest Chamber and the Maryland Heights Chamber, support Medicaid Reform in Missouri. This collaborative represents more than 1,000 business, civic and community leaders in the North St. Louis County area. Expanding Medicaid will ultimately mean that an additional 300,000 Missourians will have access to health care, including an additional 35,000 in St. Louis County.
According to a new report from the Missouri Economic Research and Information Center (MERIC) expansion of Medicaid eligibility for adults earning up to 138 percent of the federal poverty level (FPL) is expected to result in the creation of 23,868 jobs, $9.9 billion in new wages, and $14.6 billion in new Gross State Product (GSP) from 2015-2022. Expansion would also generate $402 million in new state general revenue from 2015 to 2022, including $53 in new general revenue in 2015 alone.
In 2015 alone, the State will save $77.3 million and will see a net positive impact of $94.2 million dollars in general revenue. Even when the state match is at its highest at 10%, the state will still see a positive impact on general revenue of $73 million dollars and will be saving about $33 million a year. Every day we do not expand Medicaid we lose out on these savings and $5 million a day goes to other states that chose to expand last year. Our tax dollars are being sent to other States.
“It is the right thing to do for the people who live in this State and from a dollars and cents perspective, it makes good sense and is financially prudent for our State,” said Rebecca Zoll, President and CEO of North County Inc.
