An Open Letter to Whoever Answers Phones at Missouri Medicaid

I know it's hard to be objective about yourself, but I think I'm a pretty reasonable person. That being said, I would like to kindly offer an open letter to whoever is supposed to be answering the phones for Missouri Medicaid.

Deep breath...that's what I need to take before I speak. I really don't want to come unglued, but has anyone ever been able to reach a representative from Missouri Medicaid? I'm not being facetious. I'd really like to know.

Not to cross the sharing boundary, but my wife submitted an application for our kids to be considered for coverage to Missouri Medicaid last October (of 2023). We heard nothing so my wife attempted to follow up after their recommended 45 day waiting period and was on hold for more than an hour before finally giving up.

Fast forward to today. My daughter has something of a dental emergency, so I tried to call again today to speak to someone/anyone at Missouri Medicaid. Here's a snapshot of my phone showing how long I've been on hold listening to the "Your call is very important to us..." message and I have yet to reach a human being. That 1-855-373-4636 phone number is the contact number for Missouri Medicaid.

Two hours, twenty minutes and 46 seconds (and still counting). 

I don't mean this as any kind of personal attack or mean statement against any of the people who work for Missouri Medicaid, but can someone/anyone please answer the phone? I know from speaking with friends that I'm not alone in the infuriating process of trying to get answers about health coverage.