Trends in Missouri Medicaid Applications and Enrollment: Shift from Non-MAGI to MAGI Applications

by Abigail R. Barker, PhD; Ethan Bradley, BA; and Timothy D. McBride, PhD | April, 2022

In this brief, we describe the shifts in MO HealthNet (Medicaid) applications by
category after Medicaid expansion in Missouri. Using the most recent application data
available (March 2022), we compare the current mix of MAGI (Modified Adjusted
Gross Income) adult applications and non-MAGI adult applications to pre-expansion as
well as pre-COVID-19 trends starting in January of 2019. We show a recent shift in
applications toward MAGI (which includes the Adult Expansion Group, or AEG) and
away from non-MAGI (which is mainly Aged, Blind and Disabled populations), which
has fiscal implications for the Medicaid budget and the overall Missouri state budget
because of the higher federal match rate for those enrolled in the AEG.