By Wally Kennedy

wkennedy@joplinglobe.com

A proposal that proponents say would improve the health care provided to low-income and vulnerable residents via the Missouri Department of Social Services was outlined Tuesday in Joplin.

The public meeting at the Joplin Board of Realtors offices focused on the potential transition of MO HealthNet coverage for children, families and pregnant women to a managed-care delivery model in Southwest Missouri.

Dr. Ian McCaslin, director of MO HealthNet for the Social Services Department, sought public comment on the proposal, which is designed as a way to deliver health care through a health-maintenance organization with the goals of increasing access to services, improving quality of care and stabilizing costs.

McCaslin said a conversion to managed care could potentially provide a more coordinated health-care delivery model for at least 75,000 MO HealthNet children, families and pregnant women in the area.

The health-care services include doctor and dentist visits, medications, mental-health services, hospitalizations and therapies. The earliest potential time for a managed-care model to be implemented would be July 2010. 

“The primary goal of a potential conversion to managed care is to improve the accessibility and quality of health-care services for pregnant women, children and families covered through MO HealthNet,” McCaslin said. “While the current method for service delivery in Southwest Missouri is fee-for-service, along the I-70 corridor the majority of these services are currently provided through managed care.

“In general, these participants say they are very happy with their health coverage, access and quality.”

Southwest Missouri legislators, hospital representatives, health-care providers, the Jasper County Health Department, numerous associations, Jasper County’s Family Support Division and the public had been invited to Tuesday’s meeting, officials said.

A similar meeting was conducted Monday in Springfield. Another meeting is set for today at the Branson Rec Plex.

MO HealthNet is Missouri’s health-coverage program for qualifying children, pregnant women, seniors, people with disabilities and some low-income families.

Eligibility