House Approves Additional 500-Million On Medicaid

Members of the Missouri House want to spend most of the additional 500 million dollars they added to the state budget on Medicaid. They voted Thursday 139-to-seven to send a supplemental budget bill to the Senate, including the new spending. Supporters say higher drug prices and a growing caseload makes the money necessary. House Speaker Todd Richardson says Medicaid is growing so fast it is going to bankrupt the state. Richardson says one proposal calls for hiring a private company to search for waste and fraud in Missouri’s welfare and Medicaid programs.