Medicaid expansion

Concerns about COVID-19 are also forcing the campaign supporting Medicaid expansion to make some changes.

Healthcare for Missouri will be pausing its public events until further notice, said A.J. Bockelman, the group’s campaign manager, in a Monday email to supporters. The campaign is following federal, state and local guidelines, he said.

“That’s why in the weeks ahead, we’ll look to hold virtual events to keep our grassroots supporters like you involved in our campaign,” Bockelman wrote.

But the changes won’t hamper the campaign’s plan to get expansion in front of voters in November.

Healthcare for Missouri has said it needs 172,000 signatures from registered Missouri voters by May 3 to place the question on the ballot.

Because it got an early start, the campaign will make that deadline, Bockelman wrote.

The push for Medicaid expansion officially kicked off in September and had gathered 75% of signatures by early February.