On July 5, 2016, Governor Jay Nixon vetoed Missouri Senate Bill 608. In his veto letter, Governor Nixon offered reasons that are unrelated to the “Health Care Cost and Transparency Act” provision of the Bill. Specifically, he opposed the provision of the Bill that would impose fees on MO HealthNet participants for missing appointments or failing to provide twenty-four hour cancellation notice. The Bill would also prohibit a MO HealthNet participant from scheduling another appointment until the fee is paid. Governor Nixon argued that this would needlessly punish our state’s most vulnerable citizens, calling the fees “cruel and punitive.”
He used the opportunity to criticize the legislature for refusing to expand Medicaid edibility over the past four years, costing Missouri billions of dollars in federal funding. He argued that Medicaid needs to be strengthened in Missouri, noting that currently, in order for an individual to qualify for Medicaid in Missouri, a single parent with two children can make no more than $3,600 per year. “Strengthening Medicaid would provide health coverage to an additional 300,000 working Missourians, create thousands of jobs in high-paying health care fields, and generate millions of dollars in revenues for other priorities.”
Ultimately, Governor Nixon’s veto returns Missouri Senate Bill 608 to the General Assembly where a two-thirds vote of the House and Senate is required to override the veto.
Click here to read Governor Nixon’s veto letter.
For more information on Senate Bill 608, go to Passage of Missouri Senate Bill 608 Imposes New Requirements on Health Care Providers
Posted by Attorney Katherine M. Flett. Flett is a member of the litigation team focusing on assisting clients with matters relating to business, civil and commercial litigation.