Over a year ago, Missourians went to the polls and approved expansion of the Medicaid program. We supported the expansion of basic health coverage as a health equity issue then, and we are proud to announce that we will be actively assisting with Medicaid outreach and enrollment for hard-to-reach populations with support from Missouri Foundation for Health. We will be renewing our service partnership with Vitendo 4 Africa and several other community organizations to ensure that eligible community members can make informed decisions about their coverage. We are also proud to have helped with the translation of the Foundation’s messaging guide into 15 languages, available here: https://mffh.org/our-focus/medicaid-expansion/resources/
One of the major struggles that we have faced in recent years – and one that many similar agencies face when working with lower-income Missourians – is the so-called “Medicaid Gap.” Clients don’t make enough to qualify for a plan on the ACA Marketplace, but they make too much to qualify for Medicaid, leaving them with few viable options for health coverage. And, until the courts finally cleared out (most of) the legislative obstructionism, it wasn’t hard to make too much to qualify for Missouri Medicaid (MO HealthNet), one of the narrowest and most restrictive healthcare safety net programs in the nation. While the approved Medicaid expansion isn’t a cure-all for access to healthcare, it is most certainly a welcome step in the right direction, and one that will help many Missouri families obtain basic coverage that might otherwise be financially ruinous.
And if community members do qualify for the ACA Marketplace plans, our multilingual social service professionals will also be on the ground once again this year as federally licensed Affordable Care Act Navigators in partnership with the St. Louis Area Agency on Aging .
Want to know more about expanded Medicaid or ACA (Obamacare)? Know a Limited English Proficient speaker that needs assistance with navigating health insurance options (for free, obviously)? Contact us at admin@bilingualstl.org or 314-645-7800 x210.