Plan to expand Missouri health care

A single mother with two children who makes more than $300 a month doesn’t qualify for health care aid in Missouri. A plan announced by Gov. Jay Nixon seeks to raise this threshold to more than $700.

During a speech Tuesday morning at the Family Health Center in Columbia, Nixon outlined his plan, saying health care coverage would be given to an additional 35,000 families at no additional cost to taxpayers.

Nixon said implementing this plan was one way to help alleviate economic problems facing the state.

“Employers aren’t adding workers because the cost of health care in our state is just too high,” Nixon said. “We cannot get this economy moving until we get the cost of health insurance under control. And we cannot get the cost of health insurance under control until we reduce the number of Missourians that don’t have it.”

Under Nixon’s agreement, the Missouri Health Care Association promised $52 million from funds already allocated toward the coverage of uninsured patients. If the MHCA goes through with this measure, the federal government is then under obligation to give $93 million in matching funds for state provided health care.

Kristen Blanchard, a spokeswoman for House Speaker Ron Richard, R-Joplin, said the measure was far from free for taxpayers.

"Yes, Missouri hospitals are putting up $52 million a year but that is matched with $100 million in federal dollars,” Blanchard said. “Those federal funds are taxpayer dollars. Along with hospitals, Missourians would be footing the bill for welfare expansion."

Missouri Department of Social Services Director Ronald Levy said the plan was a first step to reducing the cost of health insurance and expanding coverage to more Missourians.

For this proposal to become reality, the only legal action needed would be a vote in the legislature to raise the eligibility level for health care aid to 50 percent of the federal poverty level. To qualify for assistance under the current health care plan, a family cannot make more than 20 percent of the federal poverty level, or $3,700 a year.

Rep. Stephen Webber, D-Columbia, said he didn’t see a reason why anyone would vote against the proposal.

“It’s an incredibly good and creative solution to something that has been a problem in Missouri for quite some time,” Webber said.

Nixon said he hopes this bill will receive wide support from the state legislature.
“I hope we will be able to break through some of the barriers that have arisen in Jeff City the past four or five years, some of the partisan brick wall that has made it difficult for folks to work together,” Nixon said.

During his gubernatorial campaign, Nixon promised to restore cuts to the state’s Medicaid program and put 80,000 uninsured Missourians back on its rolls. In his State of the State Address on Jan. 27, Nixon said he planned to put more than 60,000 back on state-assisted health care.

Blanchard said Republican legislators were willing to work with the governor, but that they were opposed to increases in welfare programs.

“Our caucus is firm in standing against welfare expansion,” Blanchard said. “However, this proposal is only a few days old. There could be further negotiations. We want to work with the governor to improve the lives of our citizens, but we cannot be fiscally irresponsible.”