Chuck Hatfield Speaks to St. Louis Record About Senate Committee's Recent Action on Missouri Medicaid Expansion

04.20.2022

Partner Chuck Hatfield was recently quoted in a St. Louis Record article, "Senate committee approves amendment to ban Medicaid expansion despite voter approval in 2020." The proposed constitutional amendment would let Missouri lawmakers decide year-to-year whether the state will offer Medicaid to working-age adults and is a counterattack to the Missouri Supreme Court's unanimous decision on Medicaid expansion in July 2021.

Hatfield served as lead counsel before the Missouri Supreme Court in a lawsuit that successfully secured Medicaid expansion for an additional 275,000 Missouri residents.

"This [legislative proposal] recognizes that under current law Medicaid expansion has happened and they are acknowledging that they really don't have any practical choice but to go ahead and provide the funding that the people voted for," said Hatfield. "The only way they can get out of it is to go and try to amend the constitution even though the people just amended it."

In addition to lawmakers having to comply with federal requirements regarding Medicaid, Hatfield notes that there is still much resolve by Missourians who supported Medicaid expansion, and notes that they will "fight hard to keep Medicaid expansion."

Hatfield has more than 25 years of experience litigating and negotiating high profile cases to help offer clients a broad and insightful perspective on Missouri's government and judiciary. He has handled more than 20 major cases before the Missouri Supreme Court, represented clients in Missouri's initiative petition process, writing proposed changes to Missouri law and litigating initiative petitions. He regularly appears before trial and appellate courts at both state and federal levels.

Read the full article.