Blunt on HealthNet vs. Medicaid

Mon, Apr 16, 2007

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After the “Missouri Health Improvement Act of 2007” passed the Missouri Senate last week, Democratic Senator Joan Bray (University City) called it “hugely bureaucratic,” saying it sends too much money to insurance companies and the bureaucracy of additional levels of people “just pushing papers around.”

But Governor Matt Blunt said the program, meant to replace Medicaid, is a positive step in the right direction of providing health care for more Missourians.

In an interview with PubDef.net last week, the governor said the program shifts the state’s focus to preventative healthcare.

Click here to read the St. Louis Oracle’s take on the Democrats that voted in favor of the bill.

Governor, Health

This post was written by:

Antonio D. French - who has written 2885 posts on PUB DEF.

Antonio D. French is a writer, political consultant, and newly-elected Democratic Committeeman living in north St. Louis, Missouri.

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2 Comments For This Post

Doug Duckworth Says:
April 18th, 2007 at 11:46 pm

We stress personal responsibility as this is ingrained in our culture, yet I wonder if they are considering the constraints? I am one of those guys who views this whole idea of “prevention” as a complete joke. We are asking the poor to take responsibility when they do not have the means. What we will see, I believe, is draconian requirements without the means to reach those goals. In effect, our politicians are not willing to raise taxes as this would disenfranchise the business elite, thus we are asking those without the means to be responsible for their future. Really, they talk about teaching a man to fish but do not give them the poll. That is what this system, as well as TANF, provides. Requirements but not the means!

snead hearn Says:
April 28th, 2007 at 11:44 am

Here is how this concept worked in Tennessee:

“Unwilling Volunteers: Tennesseans Forced out of Healthcare”

In 2005, Tennessee Governor Phil Bredesen executed the largest cuts in health coverage in our nation’s history. Tens of thousands
of people were dropped from TennCare, the state’s innovative Medicaid program. Others who remained in the program had their
benefits slashed. The loss of TennCare benefits meant that many people missed needed care and medicines, making their illnesses
and other health problems worse. For others, losing TennCare literallyand unnecessarilycost them their lives.

Against this backdrop, it is instructive to look beyond the numbers and see what has happened to the real people affected by
the TennCare cuts. That is what this book is designed to do. These stories show, without a doubt, that cuts in Medicaid and other
public health programs devastate people’s lives.

Read the report, including stories of people whose lives were radically affected at: http://www.familiesusa.org/tenncare-report.html

From the FamiliesUSA webpage above:

Doug Duckworth Says:
April 18th, 2007 at 11:46 pm
We stress personal responsibility as this is ingrained in our culture, yet I wonder if they are considering the constraints? I am one of those guys who views this whole idea of “prevention” as a complete joke. We are asking the poor to take responsibility when they do not have the means. What we will see, I believe, is draconian requirements without the means to reach those goals. In effect, our politicians are not willing to raise taxes as this would disenfranchise the business elite, thus we are asking those without the means to be responsible for their future. Really, they talk about teaching a man to fish but do not give them the poll. That is what this system, as well as TANF, provides. Requirements but not the means!
snead hearn Says:
April 28th, 2007 at 11:44 am
Here is how this concept worked in Tennessee:

“Unwilling Volunteers: Tennesseans Forced out of Healthcare”

In 2005, Tennessee Governor Phil Bredesen executed the largest cuts in health coverage in our nation’s history. Tens of thousands
of people were dropped from TennCare, the state’s innovative Medicaid program. Others who remained in the program had their
benefits slashed. The loss of TennCare benefits meant that many people missed needed care and medicines, making their illnesses
and other health problems worse. For others, losing TennCare literallyand unnecessarilycost them their lives.

Against this backdrop, it is instructive to look beyond the numbers and see what has happened to the real people affected by
the TennCare cuts. That is what this book is designed to do. These stories show, without a doubt, that cuts in Medicaid and other
public health programs devastate people’s lives.

Read the report, including stories of people whose lives were radically affected at: http://www.familiesusa.org/tenncare-report.html

From the FamiliesUSA webpage above:

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