Missouri Measure Hits at Medicaid

Missouri lawmakers passed legislation Thursday authorizing the elimination or reduction of Medicaid health coverage for tens of thousands of low-income residents.

The state House sent the bill to Gov. Matt Blunt, who had said he would sign it. The state Senate passed the measure last month.

Blunt, a Republican, and GOP legislative leaders say the Medicaid cuts are needed to balance a budget that increases school funding without seeking higher taxes.

Opponents contend the healthcare cuts could be life-threatening to the disabled, elderly and affected parents.

The House vote came the same day a committee was finalizing a roughly $19-billion spending plan that would implement the Medicaid cuts beginning July 1. The House is expected to debate the full budget next week.

The budget plan would eliminate healthcare coverage for more than 100,000 of Missouri’s 1 million Medicaid recipients by tightening eligibility standards.

The plan would end certain services such as dental and podiatry care for many other recipients. It would require co-payments or premiums for hundreds of thousands of Medicaid enrollees.

Under the plan, a single parent of two could earn no more than $71 a week to qualify for Medicaid.

Democratic Rep. Connie Johnson said she got a $93.50 state mileage check for driving to the Capitol each week.

“We’re going to tell somebody that they should raise a family of two for less money than one of us gets for gas, and that’s hypocritical,” Johnson said.

Many states are trying to deal with burgeoning Medicaid costs.

In Tennessee, for example, Democratic Gov. Phil Bredesen is trying to cut 323,000 recipients from that state’s Medicaid program.