100,000 people on Medicaid in MO will lose coverage on July 1.JEFFERSON CITY— Eight persons in wheelchairs chained themselves to the doors of the House chamber on Wednesday to protest cuts to the state's health care for the poor.
At the height of a 2 1/2 –hour protest, about 100 angry disabled people, family members and advocates for the disabled blocked the doorway and one hallway and chanted demands to meet with Gov. Matt Blunt.
Blunt signed legislation Tuesday that authorizes cuts to Missouri's Medicaid program. Medicaid uses tax money to pay for health care for 1 million people.
The cut, when considered along with others outlined in various budget proposals approved in the House and Senate, is expected to eliminate coverage for about 100,000 Missourians. The legislation signed by the governor would save the state at least $368 million.
“Some people here are griping about them blocking the hall, and they're walking around people who can't walk,” Salva said.
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