Democrat Victor Callahan spoke passionately on the House floor in hopes of passing an amendment that he said would restore Medicaid coverage to about 37,000 people.

Callahan's focus was on the working Missourians who lost their coverage, saying these people didn't need a hand-out, but rather a hand up.

His amendment to the Republicans' Medicaid Restructuring bill was defeated along party lines, but Republican Jason Crowell remained against the bill, saying it was fiscally irresponsible.

The debate will continue Wednesday, and is likely to remain a hotly contested issue throughout the legislative session.

From the Capitol, I'm Micah Wiener