Since March, when the COVID-19 pandemic took over our lives in the United States, we’ve been thinking a lot about the healthcare system. The essential workers and many of the people who are getting hit hard with the virus do not even have health insurance to cover their healthcare. The essential workers are your waitstaff, the guy serving you coffee, the person who is working overnight shifts at the hospital, the people delivering you your groceries… and the list goes on. These are people who are surviving and not thriving in America during times like this. We believe health insurance is a basic human right.
Why is it so hard for people to get access to health insurance? Especially, in such a developed country like the United States, you would assume access to healthcare should be the number one thing we would receive as citizens of this country. Without getting into all the historic systemic oppression minorities and lower-class people experience based on the relationship between insurance companies and the healthcare system, health care should be free and accessible to all.
What’s unique about this upcoming election in Missouri, and why it’s important to show up with your ballot come August 4th, is that we get to vote on the Medicaid Expansion bill, also known as Amendment 2 on the ballot. Here are the details on the Medicaid Expansion Initiative:
A “YES” VOTE ON AMENDMENT 2:
- expanding Medicaid eligibility in Missouri to adults that are 19 years old or older and younger than 65 whose income is 133% of the federal poverty level or below, which would effectively expand Medicaid to those with incomes at or below 138% of the federal poverty level under the Affordable Care Act;
- prohibiting any additional restrictions or requirements for the expanded population to qualify for Medicaid coverage than for other populations that qualify for Medicaid coverage; and
- requiring the state to seek maximum federal funding of Medicaid expansion.
During this still active and deadly pandemic, it’s more important than ever that our elections are fair and safe. Voting on an amendment to help bring accessible insurance to people who need it most is something worth fighting for.
Are you wondering if everyone has to wear a mask at their polling place, they DO! But if you’re not comfortable voting in person with the virus still in full swing, you have until July 22nd to complete an absentee ballot.
