Politics

The new 47th Missouri House district, which includes part of Boone County, may finally have a Republican nominee. The Columbia Daily Tribune reports Mitch Richards was nominated by the Republican committee last night. He is the fourth nominee in less than one month. Richards is treasurer of the group Keep Columbia Free, and serves on the Citizens Police Review Board.

The Supreme Court has upheld President Barack Obama’s health care overhaul plan — the Affordable Care Act. In a 5-4 decision on Thursday, the Court determined that although Congress didn’t have the power of commerce to force Americans to buy health insurance, Congress does have the power to implement a tax. And in this case, the Court finds the penalty for not buying health insurance by 2014 to be a valid tax.

Top Missouri Republicans say they have no intention of expanding Medicaid eligibility as a result of the Supreme Court's ruling on the federal health care law.

The high court struck down a provision Thursday that threatened states with the loss of existing federal Medicaid dollars if they refuse to expand coverage to adults earning up to 133 percent of the federal poverty level. That ruling essentially makes the expansion optional for states.

House Majority Leader Tim Jones says the Republican-led Legislature will not consider the expansion.

Will be updated.

Updated 5:06 p.m. with more information.

As we reported this morning, the Supreme Court has held that the federal healthcare law is constitutional.

That includes the individual mandate that requires almost all Americans to buy health insurance by 2014.

The Court called the penalty that someone must pay for refusing to buy insurance a kind of tax that the Congress can impose under the Constitution.

Health Insurance Exchanges

Some will turn to the online marketplaces known as health insurance exchanges to fulfill the mandate.

The director of health policy for the Missouri Foundation for Health, Ryan Barker, says Missouri is one of a couple dozen states that have resisted setting up a state health insurance exchange.

Columbia officials are seeking feedback from the public on TIFs – or Tax Increment Financing, and its impact on the city.