May 14, 2021 - 5:31pm
By Don Wiener and Alex Kotch
After failing to stop a ballot initiative to expand Medicaid last year, the Missouri branch of billionaire Charles Koch s Americans for Prosperity (AFP) continued its assault on Medicaid expansion in the state. In recent months, the group has written op-eds attacking the constitutionally mandated expansion, mobilized its supporters to oppose it, and advertised online.
AFP, which has affiliates in 38 states, is Koch s premier astroturf organization, activating people to oppose public sector unions, expanded health care, and environmental standards. Its budget, which is supported mostly by the Koch-funded Stand Together Chamber of Commerce, was $57 million in 2019.