U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill released the following statement after news that Cerner Corp. in Kansas City announced an expansion at the new Three Trails Crossing:
“This is terrific news for Kansas City jobs-and it’s further evidence that, far from the continued partisan bickering in Washington about the Affordable Care Act, the law is working to protect Missourians, expand insurance, and provide a boost to business opportunities. If ‘Obamacare’ is threatening the economy as some elected officials claim, then somebody forgot to tell the economy.”
Cerner has rapidly expanded over the past few years, with a significant portion of that growth attributed to federal information technology (IT) resources included in the Affordable Care Act, as well as the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Cerner was previously identified as a company especially poised to benefit from the health care law-and last year, the company’s Executive Vice President was quoted in the Kansas City Star as saying that the Affordable Care Act has been the “full employment act” for health care IT professionals.
McCaskill also noted that the failure of the Missouri Legislature to expand Medicaid coverage as provided for in the Affordable Care Act, with the federal government covering most of the costs of the expansion, is harming the state economically. While health IT provisions-which cannot be blocked by the Missouri Legislature-are enabling companies like Cerner to add jobs, the failure to expand Medicaid in Missouri means that thousands of Missourians will not get access to healthcare coverage, that Missouri hospitals are being squeezed financially, and that thousands of jobs may be at risk or lost.
“One thing that we know that is threatening Missouri jobs, is the Legislature’s failure to expand Medicaid coverage,” McCaskill added. “Expanding Medicaid coverage will mean more folks in our state get the protection of health insurance, will provide resources for Missouri hospitals and doctors, and will create jobs. Every day that the Legislature delays expanding Medicaid means Missourians’ federal tax dollars are being spent in to other states.”