The vast majority of Missouri's Republican State Senators voted against Medicaid Expansion last night.

They refused to follow our vote and the state constitution. They DEFUNDED MEDICAID. They set Missouri up to lose in court. One of those Senators cheered the results after.

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They said things like, "The voters were tricked" or "I ran against Medicaid Expansion" or "Medicaid is a wasteful program" or "We know better."

They didn't mention that those same, poor, uninformed voters also voted for them.

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They didn't mention that they took an oath to uphold Missouri's state constitution. They didn't mention that they are the supermajority party, holding all but one statewide office, and that they are the ones in charge of overseeing Medicaid.

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They didn't mention that they fired one of the experts overseeing Medicaid who blew the whistle on how the state was kicking poor kids off of health care.

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They didn't mention that this was just another example of a public institution they have mismanaged and defunded, then complained was mismanaged, and then defunded even more. Look at our roads, our schools, our public safety systems.

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These Republicans didn't mention that by spending around $150 million, Missouri would receive more than ten times that amount in federal funding, how that funding would help rural Missouri tremendously and save some of our towns, how it would keep our hospitals open.

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They didn't mention how study after study has shown that healthier people means healthier communities means healthier kids means a healthier economy.

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They didn't mention that the folks covered by Medicaid Expansion are most often working, most often barely making ends meet, and could use a break. They didn't mention that these are the folks we rely on to do the work we take for granted the most.

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They didn't mention that Medicaid Expansion would also bring unprecedented investment in preventive care, mental health care, and drug treatment, which would have huge impacts in our most impoverished and some of our most violent neighborhoods.

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This vote wasn't about saving lives or making the fiscally responsible choice. It was about creating political points, about allowing these politicians to go home and claim they fought Obama, about saving their jobs instead of creating ones for the People of Missouri.

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They said you and I didn't know better when we went to vote. All they proved last night was that we knew plenty. But because so many of us still vote just based on party label, they know they're safe. They're comfortable screwing us over for personal gain.

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So this summer, without additional funding, Medicaid is going to expand in Missouri. The Governor could choose to find funding for it; it wouldn't take much because Missouri would receive a ton of money pretty quickly that would way more than cover what we spend to expand.

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But if he doesn't, then we will have more folks covered under Medicaid and the same amount of money to deal with it. That means less money per person.

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That means Republicans defunded Medicaid. And it means a lawsuit that will cost taxpayer money and will end up with our state on the losing end.

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Republicans defunded health care for seniors, especially those in nursing homes.

They defunded health care for women and mothers.

They defunded health care for children.

They defunded health care for Missourians with disabilities.

They defunded hospitals.

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They defunded taxpayers.

They killed jobs.

They chose themselves over Missouri. And that's why you and I have to choose someone else to represent us.

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If you're as pissed as me about the corruption that has seized our state, and you need a place to put your energy, visit http://www.takebackmo.org/volunteer 

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