A renegade Republican

[loyalsister]

Missouri GOP lawmaker advances Medicaid expansion

By DAVID A. LIEB

Associated Press

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) -- A renegade Republican teamed up with minority party Democrats on Wednesday to deliver the first affirmative -- albeit symbolic -- vote of the year for a plan to expand Missouri's Medicaid program to hundreds of thousands of lower-income adults.

House Health Insurance Committee Chairman Chris Molendorp voted with four Democratic members to attach the Medicaid expansion proposal to an unrelated Senate bill pending in his committee. Molendorp said he planned to do the same thing to any other Senate bills sent his way before the May 16 end of the legislative session.

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The committee vote was intended "to make a statement that the Republican Party needs to do the right thing," Molendorp said. He added: "It's symbolic, I understand that, but someone's got to lead on this issue, and that's what I'm doing."

There are some republican legislators in MO who would vote in favor of a bill that expands medicaid. But most of them are too afraid of re-election to add the amendments or speak out.
I'm not sure he would do this if he was up for re-election. But, term limits are still a bad idea.