Rural Missouri lagging in health coverage

Missouri’s rural areas are lagging behind their urban counterparts when it comes to health coverage – and the state’s decision to decline the federal expansion of Medicaid is a significant factor, according to a study published this month.

Passed more than a decade ago, the Affordable Care Act (ACA) allows for generous reimbursement from the federal government for states that allow all citizens living under the federal poverty level to qualify for Medicaid, a joint state-federal program providing health coverage for poor and disabled people. Originally, the law required states to expand Medicaid, but a 2012 U.S. Supreme Court decision made this optional. Missouri’s Medicaid program generally covers some parents, people living with disabilities, pregnant women and children with low income. Working adults living below the poverty level do not qualify – about 34 other states do cover these adults, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation.

The Georgetown University Health Policy Institute Center for Children and Families found that, in states where Medicaid has been expanded, rural areas see a sharp increase in health coverage. Lower incomes in small towns and other rural areas are a factor in that increase. But in states where Medicaid has not expanded, coverage rates in rural areas remain low.

While health coverage for children and families remains a critical issue, access to healthcare – including whether providers are compensated at a fair rate and whether providers accept patients with Medicaid – is also an area in need of study discourse. Missouri’s last comprehensive review of providers accepting Medicaid was released about ten years ago.

House Attempt to Override Governor’s Budget Vetoes Falls Short

MO Gov. Parson calls special session for education, drug…

Gov. Mike Parson announced this week he is calling for a special session of the Missouri general assembly to discuss legislative bills related to science education and drug courts.

The session will be concurrent with the annual “veto” session, in which legislators may vote to override a governor’s veto ruling for any bills from the traditional January-May session.

In a statement announcing the decision, the governor indicated he did not oppose new policy promoting drug courts or robust computer-science education in high schools, but he hoped legislators would, “come up with a more narrowly defined focus” on those policies.

The session will take place the week of Sept. 10-14.

How important is Medicaid and CHIP to children in…

Millions of children in the United States obtain health coverage through federal programs like Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP). Recently, the Georgetown University Health Policy Institute Center for Children and Families launched an interactive map showing the impact of these programs locally.

Specifically, the map shows the percentage of children enrolled in either Medicaid or CHIP by congressional district as of 2016, the most recent year such data is available.

Missouri has eight congressional districts. In five of them, more than 30 percent of children are enrolled in Medicaid or CHIP. In one of them, it is more than 40 percent.

Both federally funded health programs have come under scrutiny as government agencies seek to contain costs, particularly related to Medicaid. Former Gov. Greitens, for example, called for $40 million in cost-containment initiatives in Missouri’s version of the Medicaid program. President Trump in May requested approximately $7 billion in unspent CHIP funds remain unspent to contain costs.

Congress could act on farm/food stamps bill after Labor…

U.S. Rep. Vicky Harzler, R-MO, will serve on a committee which could make sweeping changes to federal policies on food stamps, free or reduced school lunches and farm subsidies.

Both chambers of Congress have passed bills extending the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). Bill details differ significantly. The House farm bill, called the Agriculture and Nutrition Act of 2018, would reduce enrollment in the SNAP program and increase work requirements for recipients. The Senate version extends the program’s job-training program.

The House bill passed on June 17 by a largely party-line vote of 213-211. The Senate version enjoyed more bipartisan support and passed by a 86-11 margin.

Both bills now go to conference, with House and Senate leadership assigning members of the conference committee. On the House side, Missouri Rep. Vicky Hartzler will be among the committee members.

Negotiations on the conference committee bill are currently ongoing. A vote is not expected until after Labor Day, as the House is in recess from July 27-Labor Day, and the Senate is in recess from Aug. 6-10.

MCCA Board Chair Elected to National Network for Youth…

We would like to congratulate Pat Holterman-Hommes, MCCA’s Board Chair, on her election to the board of National Network for Youth.  Her commitment to vulnerable and disenfranchised youth, coupled with her leadership and vision, will serve NN4Y well.  The National Network for Youth (NN4Y) has been a public education and policy advocacy organization dedicated to the prevention and eradication of youth homelessness in America for over 40 years.  NN4Y mobilizes over 300 members and affiliates–organizations that work on the front lines every day to provide prevention services and respond to runaways and youth experiencing homelessness and human trafficking.

In 2013, Ms. Holterman-Hommes became the fourth President and CEO in Youth In Need’s history; she has been a key staff member of Youth In Need since 1990, serving most recently as Chief Program Officer prior to being appointed CEO.   Ms. Holterman-Hommes also serves on the boards of National Safe Place Network and the Community Council of St. Charles County.

Congratulations!

Update: Vote to cut children’s health program fails vote…

By a slim 50-48 margin (with two members not voting), the U.S. Senate blocked a proposal by the Trump Administration to cut $15.4 billion out of the $1.3 trillion federal spending bill Congress passed in February. The administration request called for about half – $7 billion – of the requested cut from funds earmarked for the Children’s Health Insurance Program, or CHIP.

The president’s proposal used a rare policy tool called “rescission”, which calls for funds earmarked for a purpose to not be spent by the government. Presidents rarely submit rescission proposals – the last one to do so was Bill Clinton.

Of the $7 billion in cuts to CHIP appropriations, approximately $2 billion had been set aside for the Child Enrollment Contingency Fund, which protects children in cases when their state of residence runs out of money for CHIP coverage.

The vote in the Senate fell mostly along party lines, with Republicans mostly in support and Democrats opposed. There were, however, two Republican defections: Senators Susan Collins of Maine and Richard Burr of North Carolina.

Opinion: What Will Change in Governor Mean for Missouri…

Less than twenty-four hours after Governor Eric Greitens announced his resignation, effective June 1, many Missourians are asking, “What now and what does this mean?”  As child and family advocates coming off of what has clearly been one of the better legislative years for our most vulnerable children, we have reflected on this as well.   Our conclusion:  the work will move forward and we are in good shape.

During the Governor’s tenure, the First Lady, Dr. Sheena Greitens, worked tirelessly on behalf of Missouri’s children in foster care, and put a spotlight on both their pain and our opportunity and obligation to do better by them.  We are grateful to her.  We take heart, however, in how our legislators and community-based partners also led in this effort and gave voice to the work of improving the lives of our most vulnerable children.   Capitalizing on this singleness of purpose and resulting momentum, Missouri made important strides to advance child safety, health and education, and support opportunity for normalcy and permanent families.   Helping our most at-risk children brings Missourians together like few other issues can, and a change in administrations will not change this fact.

Missouri is also fortunate that Lt. Governor Mike Parson, who will be sworn in as Governor June 1, shares this strong commitment to Missouri children and families.  We are confident that the partnerships and cooperation that made 2018 successful will continue, and look forward to supporting the incoming administration in any way we can to protect and serve our most vulnerable.