Kinder Inexplicably Continues to Overstate Medicaid Expansion Costs

Peter Kinder still can't be bothered to use reasonable, correct estimates for how expanded Medicaid requirements will impact the state. The News-Leader (empahsis added):

On Dec. 30, Kinder sent a letter to Nixon, expressing his concern about the federal legislation and calling on the governor to state his position on the legislation.

Kinder's claim that the Medicaid expansion could cost Missouri taxpayers "as high as $450 million per year" is much higher than what Nixon's Department of Social Services claims the House or Senate bills would cost Missouri.

DSS officials estimate the House version of Medicaid expansion would cost the state of Missouri $188 million more each year, while the Senate bill would cost state taxpayers an extra $91 million each year.

Kinder has been using inflated, incorrect numbers for months -- even though the error has been pointed out on numerous occasions (see here, here, here and here), since at least October. No one is pretending that expanding Medicaid eligibility is free -- but Kinder's numbers for legislation that doesn't exist. 

Kinder doesn't care about the facts, but we're supposed to care about his hysterical opposition to health care reform.