JEFFERSON CITY • Lawmakers in Idaho and Iowa have dropped plans to pursue legislation that would require Medicaid recipients to work, but the sponsor of a similar plan in Missouri says he wants to keep moving forward.

Sen. David Sater, R-Cassville, said he is not deterred by a federal court decision this week that halted Republican-led efforts in Kentucky and Arkansas to impose the new work requirements on people who receive health coverage under Medicaid.

While the court decision brought the legislation to a sudden stop in the Idaho and Iowa legislatures, Sater said he’s hopeful a Missouri version will win approval and then survive an expected court challenge.

“I know this will be appealed,” Sater said. “Maybe we’ll have a more favorable judge.”

On Wednesday, U.S. District Judge James Boasberg ruled that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services fell short in approving the plans in Kentucky and Arkansas. Like Sater’s bill, those two states wanted to require able-bodied Medicaid recipients to participate in at least 80 hours a month of work, education or volunteering.