JEFFERSON CITY 鈥 The Missouri House on Thursday sent Gov. Mike Kehoe legislation expanding access to women鈥檚 health care and providing health care options for Missouri farmers.
Women will be able to access six months鈥 worth of birth control at a time under the bill. Another provision increases access to telehealth options. Pregnant women will get blood tests more frequently and be tested for more conditions under the proposal.
Rep. Melanie Stinnett, R-Springfield, said she was particularly enthusiastic about a provision allowing more people to have medically necessary cochlear implants and hearing instruments under state health care.
Rep. Melanie Stinnett, R-Springfield, speaks in the floor of the Missouri House on the final day of the 2023 legislative session.
鈥淎s a speech language pathologist myself, working with children who have hearing loss and difficulties in that vein, I think this is a huge step for our state,鈥 Stinnett said.
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The potential for increased access to birth control has been shut down repeatedly over the years but drew no opposition Thursday.
Stinnett, the bill鈥檚 House handler, cited a provision requiring smaller health centers have a plan to transport sexual assault victims to a larger facility where they can receive more complete care.
The bill also allows the Missouri Farm Bureau, a qualified membership organization, to provide a limited health care plan, one that isn鈥檛 governed by statutes regulating traditional health insurance, to its members. The goal is to provide an affordable option for farm households, supporters said.
Although the Farm Bureau advocates for the state鈥檚 agricultural interests, , including urban residents.
The Senate sponsor of the bill, Sen. Kurtis Gregory, R-Marshall, said the bill offers farmers who can鈥檛 afford insurance some coverage at a reasonable price.
Farming households are slightly more uninsured than the U.S population, according to a . The study found that 10.7% of farm household members are uninsured in comparison to 9.1% of the U.S. population.
Though Sen. Minority Leader Doug Beck, D-Affton, called the plan 鈥渉orrible鈥 because of its limitations, some House Democrats got up to speak in favor of the health care option on Thursday.
鈥淚 see the need with the farmers, and I think it鈥檚 necessary,鈥 said Rep. Adrian Plank, D-Columbia.
Plank argued it would be hypocritical to support the actions of labor unions while voting against the collective action of Farm Bureau members.
The bill is Sena
Editor鈥檚 note: An earlier version incorrectly said the bill sent to the governor allowed one year of access to birth control. That was changed to six months.
Photos: Missouri House wraps up the final day of 2025 legislative session
Representatives throw papers into the air in the traditional paper toss marking the final moments of the last day of the legislative session on Thursday, May 15, 2025, on the House floor at the Missouri Capitol in Jefferson City.
Representative Ken Waller, R-Herculaneum, wears a patriotic suit jacket on the last day of the legislative session on Thursday, May 15, 2025, on the House floor in Jefferson City. Waller says he wears the American flag themed sport coat to session every three weeks or so since buying it for July 4, 2024.
Representative Josh Hurlbert, R-Smithville, sits with his daughter Rose, 9, during the waning minutes on the final day of the legislative session on Thursday, May 15, 2025, in the House chamber at the Missouri Capitol in Jefferson City.
School children, including one clutching a bald eagle toy, watch the final day of the legislative session on Thursday, May 15, 2025, in the House chamber in Jefferson City.
Assistant Minority Floor Leader Representative Marlon Anderson, D-St. 香港三级片, leads a moment of silence for St. 香港三级片 Police officer David Lee who died in the line of duty, on the final day of the legislative session on Thursday, May 15, 2025, on the House floor in Jefferson City.
鈥淲e are not going back,鈥 yells Jen Krus, center, during a protest supporting abortion rights and paid sick leave on the final day of the legislative session on Thursday, May 15, 2025, on the steps of the Missouri Capitol in Jefferson City.
Representative Wick Thomas, D-Kansas City, hugs Executive Director of PROMO Katy Erker-Lynch at a protest supporting聽voter-backed initiatives legalizing abortion and guaranteeing paid sick on the final day of the legislative session on Thursday, May 15, 2025, on the steps of the Missouri Capitol in Jefferson City.
House Speaker Jonathan Patterson, left, applauds as Gov. Mike Kehoe waves to representatives on the final day of the legislative session on Thursday, May 15, 2025, in the House chamber at the Missouri Capitol in Jefferson City.
Stephanie Boykin, D-Florissant, gives a shout out聽St. 香港三级片-area schools including STEAM Academy Middle School in the Ferguson-Florissant School District that were recognized as聽Missouri Gold Star schools聽on the last day of the legislative session on Thursday, May 15, 2025, on the House floor in Jefferson City.
Representative Ray Reed, D-St. 香港三级片, left, listens to a debate during the final day of the legislative session Thursday, May 15, 2025, on the House floor in Jefferson City.
Rep. Bennie Cook, R-Houston, grabs the microphone and shouts a warm welcome to Gov. Mike Kehoe, who made an appearance on the final day of the legislative session on Thursday, May 15, 2025, in the House chamber at the Missouri Capitol in Jefferson City.
Colleagues congratulate Representative Bruce Sassmann, R-Bland, on the passage of his invasive plants bill on the final day of the legislative session on Thursday, May 15, 2025, in the House chamber at the Missouri Capitol in Jefferson City.
