What Medicaid expansion ballot summary did the Missouri Attorney General approve for Heidi Miller’s Article IV petition?

Plain-English summary

The Secretary of State submitted a proposed summary statement for Heidi Miller’s petition to amend Article IV of the Missouri Constitution. The statement asks whether to adopt Medicaid Expansion for people ages 19 to 64 with income at or below 133% of the federal poverty level, as set forth in the Affordable Care Act. It also describes limits on greater eligibility or enrollment burdens for that group and directs state agencies to maximize federal financial participation in funding the expansion.

The Attorney General approved the statement’s legal content and form under § 116.334, RSMo. The letter expressly disclaims endorsement of the petition or a view on its proponents’ objectives. It gives no petition number and says nothing about whether this proposal reached a ballot.

Currency note

This letter was issued in 2019. Consult the petition text and current law for the proposal’s details and present rules.

Common questions

Q: What age and income group does the proposed summary describe? A: It describes people ages 19 to 64 with income at or below 133% of the federal poverty level, as set forth in the Affordable Care Act.

Q: Does the summary address enrollment rules?
A: Yes. It asks whether to prohibit greater or additional eligibility and enrollment burdens for people covered under Medicaid Expansion than for any other Medicaid-eligible population.

Q: Did this petition reach the ballot?
A: The letter does not report a later ballot outcome or identify a particular petition number.

Background and statutory framework

The Secretary of State requested review of the proposed summary statement under § 116.334, RSMo. The Attorney General approved its legal content and form and did not endorse the petition.

Citations and references

Statute cited: § 116.334, RSMo.

Constitutional provision identified: Article IV of the Missouri Constitution.

Source

• Original PDF: https://ago.mo.gov/wp-content/uploads/attachments/92-2019.pdf

Original opinion text

ATTORNEY GENERAL OF MISSOURI
ERIC SCHMITT
June 13, 2019
OPINION LETTER NO. 92-2019
The Honorable John R. Ashcroft
Missouri Secretary of State
James C. Kirkpatrick State Information Center
600 West Main Street
Jefferson City, MO 65101
Dear Secretary Ashcroft:
This opinion letter responds to your request dated June 3, 2019, for our review under
§ 116.334, RSMo, of a proposed summary statement prepared for the petition submitted by Heidi Miller regarding a proposed constitutional amendment to amend Article IV of the Missouri Constitution. The proposed summary statement is as follows: Do you want to amend the Missouri Constitution to:

• adopt Medicaid Expansion for persons 19 to 64 old with an income level at or below 133% of the federal poverty level, as set forth in the Affordable Care Act;
• prohibit placing greater or additional burdens on eligibility or enrollment standards, methodologies or practices on persons covered under Medicaid Expansion than on any other population eligible for Medicaid; and
• require state agencies to take all actions necessary to maximize federal financial participation in funding medical assistance under Medicaid Expansion? Pursuant to § 116.334, RSMo, we approve the legal content and form of the proposed statement. Because our review of the statement is mandated by statute, no action that we take with respect to such review should be construed as an endorsement of the petition, nor as the expression of any view regarding the objectives of its proponents. Very truly yours,

ERIC S. SCHMITT
Attorney General

Supreme Court Building
207 W. High Street
P.O. Box 899
Jefferson City, MO 65102
Phone: (573) 751-3321
Fax: (573) 751-0774
www.ago.mo.gov

OP-2019-0104