End of Medicaid in Missouri?

[ArchTeryx]

From what I understand, it's a done deal now. The bill was signed by Blunt a couple of days ago.

I'm really surprised that nothing to that effect was posted anywhere in DU! I'm an Ohioan that just recently was informed of this travesty, and I'd like to know more about it. Could the Missouri governor and legislature really be so stupid as to condemn every single poor person in their state to early deaths?

-- ArchTeryx

[Norquist Nemesis]

1. Any links?

I'm not aware of what's up with this one. :shrug:

[TheDebbieDee]

2. Not every single poor person in the state of Missouri.....

will be kicked off Medicaid. Only those poor people that make more than $72 per week will be cut-off! <end sarcasm>

[Jamison]

3. Something sinister will be exposed someday

In my opinion, there is some serious financial mismanagement going on in our state. Gov. Blunt has made deep cuts to practically everything, and is still crying that the state is broke. Doesn't it seem kind of fishy to you guys too?

[raccoon]

6. Yes, it sounds like some serious investigating should be done

In my state (SC) not long ago, Earle Morris, formerly Lt. Governor, was found guilty of securities fraud when he served as chairman of a company that went belly up recently.

By the way, this man was Comptroller General at one time. I don't recall our local media ever bringing that up.

Also by the way, for his misdeeds, Mr. Morris received a resounding slap on the wrist. And his name was removed from a highway that had been named after him.

[evlbstrd]

4. Yes, they really are that stupid.

From the KC Star:

JEFFERSON CITY—Gov. Matt Blunt on Tuesday signed a bill that eliminates thousands of people from Missouri's health-care program for the poor.


He also promised to use his line-item veto power to make sure most of the cuts stick.


The measure, when combined with cuts put forward in various state budget proposals, calls for about 100,000 people to lose Medicaid coverage. Missouri's Medicaid program uses tax money to pay for health care for about 1 million people.


About 27,000 people, most of them disabled or elderly, lose medical coverage under the measure. Thousands of others are required to spend more money before they are considered eligible for services.


Blind people, pregnant women and children are exempt from the cuts.


The measure eliminates coverage for most adults for specialty services such as hearing aids, eyeglasses and dental care and requires some people to pay small co-payments when they visit a doctor.


The legislation also cuts subsidies to some parents who adopt children out of Missouri's foster-care system.


Blunt said the changes were necessary because the Medicaid program had grown beyond Missouri's ability to pay for it without a drastic tax increase. The program currently costs more than $5 billion and covers health-care costs for 1 in 6 Missourians.


“This is not Washington D.C. We don't print money. We need to balance the budget,” Blunt said.

[AllegroRondo]

7. And why is Medicaid growing so much?

because people are losing jobs, and those with jobs are losing medical coverage.

[ArchTeryx]

8. How incredibly short sighted.

What does he expect the million-odd poor that will lose Medicaid eligibility to do? Move out of state? Die the first time they get hit with a major medical problem?

Nope. This will just flood the emergency rooms to an unbelievable extent and drive down productivity. It also means that any middle class person with any sense will avoid the state like the plague...after all, if they are fired, they will spend a good bit without medical coverage at all, until they've been out of work long enough so their income finally crosses the limits.

It's a massive example of cost-shifting. He will rue the day he put this regressive policy in place.

[proud2BlibKansan]

10. This is different

Medicaid is being cut now but eliminated entirely in (I think) two or three years. It's two different pieces of legislation.

[loyalsister]

15. It sunsets next year

The bills were combined. They don't have to have a new plan in place.

The best description I have heard is this one:

Gibbons explained that the program was being cut because of its soaring cost. He said details of a new Medicaid system would be worked out by a legislative commission.

That process sounded backward to Binek.

"It seems like they shot the horse," he said. "Now they're trying to figure out why it died."

http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/news/stories.nsf/missouristatenews/story/294C1D3FBFA7F92686256FF1001C5DAA?OpenDocument

The story above shows how ADAPT got radical on Wednesday. Blunt was a big chicken!

[scratchtasia]

5. Well

Blunt's draconian budget cuts have received quite a bit of attention in this forum. We all knew this was coming--I guess we were so unsurprised when Blunt signed his name that no one thought to post about it. It's not quite the end of Medicaid, but it's the end for a lot of people.

I've said it before--the only good thing about this is that the Thugs are making it easier for Democrats to win again.

[proud2BlibKansan]

9. It was posted here

and didn't get many responses.

The state is planning on coming up with another system to replace Medicaid (or so they say) so for the record, they are not really condeming the poor to no health care. But it sould be interesting to see what they come up with.

[ArchTeryx]

11. Maybe so...

I read about the 'alternate system' but forgive my cynicism: no such system was proposed in tandem with this legislation and the legislature doesn't seem to be in much mood to do it, either.

My assertion is that that promise will be allowed to blow away in the wind, along with the entire Medicaid system, as long as Republicans control your legislature and governorship. They'd rather the entire system went away then either a) propose ANYTHING that required government spending and actually benenfitted people rather then corporations, and/or b) required tax increases.

-- ArchTeryx

[Racenut20]

12. Perhaps he is counting on them being dead before the next election ?

[panicbutton02]

13. Yep

No insurance and smokin' them yummy cigarettes from the companies that stepmommy works for.

http://thepanicbutton.blogspot.com/2005/04/matt-blunt-to-missouri-smoke-em-if-ya.html

[proud2BlibKansan]

14. That is a great website

and welcome to DU :hi:

[AllegroRondo]

16. The latest

The state senate was able to return some medicaid items to their version of the bill, but Blunt has threatened a line item veto of them.

Among the latest changes:

Authorizes payments for optometry exams, but not for prescription lenses.

Authorizes payments for electric wheelchairs, but not for their batteries.