Nixon renews calls for Medicaid expansion

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) - Gov. Jay Nixon is proposing to expand the Medicaid health program to cover about 300,000 more Missourians.

Nixon released a spending plan Tuesday for the upcoming budget year that includes $1.7 billion in federal funds to expand Medicaid. The expansion would take effect in October.

Nixon estimates it would bolster state funds by $94 million.

The proposal faces an uphill battle in the Republican-led Legislature, which last year rejected Nixon’s call to expand Medicaid. Republicans said the program should be changed before more people are declared eligible.