Missouri Governor Signs Bill To Enact New State Health Care Program

Missouri Gov. Matt Blunt (R) on Monday signed legislation (SB 577) that establishes MO HealthNet, which will replace the state's Medicaid program, the Springfield Business Journal reports. The goal of the $6 billion program is to shift the focus of state-funded health care to prevention and early detection of diseases, according to a news release from the governor's office. Under the bill, MO HealthNet will:
Set up health care homes at existing facilities to serve as a central point of contact for patients and help patients create personalized long-term health plans (Springfield Business Journal, 7/2);

Restore dental and vision care for Medicaid beneficiaries, subject to funding approval by the state Legislature each year (Wagar, Kansas City Star, 7/2);

Restore coverage for necessary medical equipment for adults, such as canes, catheters and hospital beds (Young, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, 7/3);

Restore coverage for up to 13,500 children who were cut from the program two years ago (Kansas City Star, 7/2). Premiums for children will be limited to 3% to 5% of parents' annual income (St. Louis Post-Dispatch, 7/3);

Create a health program for uninsured women with annual incomes up to 185% of the federal poverty level (Kansas City Star, 7/2). The program will provide cancer screenings and family planning services, such as pelvic exams and Pap tests, to about 80,000 women (St. Louis Post-Dispatch, 7/3). Women ages 35 and older diagnosed with breast or cervical cancer could receive treatment through the Show Me Healthy Women Program. However, women younger than age 35 will have to find private treatment;

Reinstate coverage for about 3,200 disabled workers;

Raise payments to medical providers up to the federal maximum within four years. Blunt said he would like to increase payments by $25 million per year for the next four years because MO HealthNet requires physicians to spend more time with patients (Kansas City Star, 7/2); and

Extend health care to 970 former foster children ages 18 to 21. This provision takes effect immediately, with the remaining provisions taking effect Aug. 28.
More program details will be decided by several commissions created by the legislation. Blunt said MO HealthNet "delivers on the promise to create an innovative health care system," adding, "By taking a proactive rather than reactive approach to health care, we will give poor, elderly and disabled Missourians a health care system they can be proud of, one that delivers real results" (St. Louis Post-Dispatch, 7/3).

Critics of the bill say the program does nothing to restore benefits to 100,000 low-income residents who lost coverage in 2005 when Blunt and the Legislature restricted Medicaid eligibility (Kansas City Star, 7/2).

"Reprinted with permission from kaisernetwork. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery at kaisernetwork/dailyreports/healthpolicy. The Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report is published for kaisernetwork, a free service of The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation . © 2005 Advisory Board Company and Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved.


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