A Missouri judge denied efforts to expand Medicaid, citing that the ballot initiative did not propose any methods of paying for it, according to the St. Louis Post Dispatch June 23.
Cole County Circuit Judge Jon Beetem's decision was in response to a lawsuit filed in May by three Missouri expansion supporters who were eligible to enroll in the program July 1.
The plaintiffs filed the suit after Gov. Mike Parson announced May 13 he was dropping Medicaid expansion plans because the ballot initiative failed to include a funding plan.
The initiative resulted in 53 percent of voters deciding that Medicaid should cover adults between the ages of 19 and 65 living below 138 percent of the poverty level, according to the Dispatch.
The expansion would provide an additional 275,000 residents with health coverage.