Wed, Nov 25 2009
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Reaction to reform divided Another MO HealthNet provision extends the amount of time children in foster care can qualify for state health-care benefits. Under the current system, those benefits end at age 18. The new measure applies to those through age 21.
Rep. Ron Richard, R-Joplin, said MO HealthNet will give Missouri taxpayers “more bang for their buck” by encouraging people to find the most cost-effective method of treatment and to take steps to stay healthy. He said the legislation isn’t perfect, and the impending end of the state’s Medicaid provisions in 2008 motivated the Legislature to get something passed this session. “We’re not trying to get them into a system that’s worse than the one before,” Richard said. “We want a good, quality program at the best price. Are we our brother’s keeper? Yes, but I can only do what the people give me the money to do.” Fiscal priorities Ehresman, who sat through many of the legislative sessions, said every suggestion for restoring those who were cut from Medicaid in 2005 was met with the question of how the state would pay for it. At the same time the Legislature was concerned about the impact of MO HealthNet on the state budget, Ehresman said, politicians were loading other bills with tax cuts and incentives. Both Richard and Sen. Gary Nodler, R-Joplin, said bills with tax credits for businesses are crucial for keeping Missouri economically competitive with other states, and that the revenue created from that growth is part of what helps pay for state health care. “The old Medicaid system was fiscally not sustainable, and the idea to create that same thing is ludicrous. It wasn’t sustainable,” Nodler said. “The whole idea behind HealthNet is wellness. It makes sense fiscally, and it raises the quality of life.” Jessica Robinson, spokeswoman for Blunt, said the governor is aware of and concerned about the issue of the thousands of Missourians who fall through the health-care cracks. But a real issue, she said, is the rising cost of state-funded health care. Last year, she said, health care took up one-third of the state’s budget — more than education or transportation. “We’re creating other opportunities rather than just state-funded health care like Medicaid,” she said. “(Blunt) wants to improve the health-care safety net, but we have to address the funding. These are issues that are going on at the national level.” Michelle Ducre, executive director of the Community Clinic in Joplin, doesn’t like giving handouts, and she said she supports motivating people to take personal responsibility for their health and their futures. But, she said she believes the Legislature failed its constituents this session. The issue isn’t complicated to Ducre. She said simply increasing the eligibility for state-funded health care that would allow access to basic care would make all the difference in the world. For what she sees as political jockeying, Ducre wonders why she is seeing no community outrage. “And meanwhile, they (legislators) balance the budget on the backs of the poor,” she said. Melissa Dunson is the business writer for The Joplin Globe. 
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