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Politically Speaking: 'Right To Work,' Rep. Barnes And Medicaid

Marshall Griffin, St. Louis Public Radio and the Beacon.

On this week’s podcast, Jason and Jo discuss the roadblocks to getting “right to work” on the ballot and why upcoming campaign finance reports matter. For the rest of the show, the Politically Speaking crew talks with Rep. Jay Barnes, R-Jefferson City.

During the show, Barnes described his proposal to expand Medicaid – which some see as an alternative to the straight-up Medicaid expansion that Gov. Jay Nixon supports. Barnes also discussed his efforts to find out more about Missouri’s unsuccessful bid to lure Boeing’s 777X to Missouri.

On the show, Barnes said:

  • He learned a lot from former Senate President Pro Tem Mike Gibbons, a Kirkwood Republican. Barnes says Gibbons didn’t always take his advice when Barnes was an advisor – which provided him insight when he became a legislator.
  • Simply expanding Medicaid to 138 percent of the federal poverty level has no chance of passing.
  • Some Republican governors have proposed changes to Medicaid eligibility – as long as they're paired with changes to Medicaid's operation.
  • He requested documents to learn more about Missouri’s bid for the 777X. Barnes was one of a handful of legislators who voted against expanding the state’s incentives to land the civilian aircraft.

Follow Chris McDaniel on Twitter@csmcdaniel

Follow Jo Mannies on Twitter@jmannies

Follow Jason Rosenbaum on Twitter@jrosenbaum

Follow Jay Barnes on Twitter@JayBarnes5

Jason is the politics correspondent for St. Louis Public Radio.
Jo Mannies is a freelance journalist and former political reporter at St. Louis Public Radio.