Nixon touts healthcare expansion in Hannibal

Missouri Governor Jay Nixon visited Hannibal Regional Hospital Monday to discuss his proposal to strengthen Medicaid.

Nixon said the plan would bring $5.7 billion to the state and provide healthcare to 300 thousand Missourians over the next three years.

Hannibal regional healthcare system President and CEO Todd Ahrens Says the hospital agrees completely with the plan.

Ahrens says HRHS faces severe cutbacks in federal reimbursements.

"Without the expansion of Medicaid, it's going to give us a financial crunch," Ahrens said. "We're a strong organization, but losing some of that reimbursement would cause some issues that we would need to be ready for."

Governor Nixon also noted that the business community is solidly behind the proposal which – he says – will create up to 24 thousand new jobs in 2014 alone.

The impact on the state’s mental health system will also be significant according to the Governor.

Marion County Sheriff Jimmy Shinn says that is important to law enforcement.

Shinn said the Sheriff’s department deals with as many as 95 inmates a day and most often 7 to 10 of those inmates are suffering from some kind of mental illness.