By Marshall Griffin, St. Louis Public Radio
Jefferson City, Mo. – Governor Jay Nixon says he's still determined to boost the number of poor Missourians eligible for Medicaid.
The Democratic governor failed to persuade the GOP-led General Assembly earlier this year to expand Medicaid coverage to 35,000 low-income working parents. He says he'll try again when the 2010 session begins next month.
"We're looking for a number of options to make sure that (we'll) have the coverage...obviously it's a difficult budget time right now for us, and we have a challenging level of income on the state side," Nixon said.
Republican House leaders opposed expanding Medicaid coverage to "able-bodied adults," and touted a plan late in the 2009 session to provide 20,000 "uninsurable" Missourians with health coverage.
The 2010 session begins January 6th.