Governor's initiative aims to stem health coverage crisis

I am deeply committed to reducing the number of Missourians without health insurance. My administration has worked with the General Assembly and key stakeholders to make coverage more affordable.

I recently unveiled Insure Missouri, an innovative program that will help Missourians purchase their own personal health insurance. Insure Missouri could reduce the number of uninsured by 30 percent.

I share the concerns of many Missouri families about access to affordable health care. Overall, Missouri is in the top 20 states for health care coverage. But we can do even better than that. As governor, I want Missouri to be the best in the nation in all areas, including health insurance coverage. I want to remove obstacles so that more Missourians can afford quality health insurance, offering choice and security for consumers.

Much of the problem stems from the difficulty small businesses have in finding affordable coverage for their employees. Based on information from the Kaiser Family Foundation’s 2006 Employer Health Benefits Survey, the number of small employers that offer insurance has declined to 60 percent from 69 percent in 2000. To increase access to affordable health insurance, we must make it easier for small businesses and employers to find coverage they can afford.

We need a fresh perspective when it comes to ensuring that Missouri families have access to quality and affordable health insurance. Part of the solution for our state can be found in House Bill 818, legislation I signed earlier this year to expand opportunities for coverage to high-risk Missourians and young Missourians just entering the work force.

Another part of the solution is Insure Missouri.

Insure Missouri will pool individual, employer, state and federal resources to help Missourians buy quality and affordable health insurance. This health care initiative for working Missourians will be based on a sliding scale according to income. For example, a four-person family making $17,500 per year will not have any premiums associated with their health coverage. Meanwhile, a family of four with income of $24,000 will pay no more than $100 a month, and a family of four making $35,000 per year will pay no more than $145 per month.

This initiative will be carried out in three phases.

First, starting in February 2008, insurance plans will be available to families of four making less than $20,650 per year. This will immediately allow more than 55,000 Missourians to afford quality health insurance.

In Phase II, starting next summer, the same coverage would be offered to families of four making approximately $38,000. By summer of 2008 an additional 77,000 Missourians could be enrolled.

Missourians will have access to a benefit package similar to those offered to state employees providing preventive care that includes prescription drugs, physician, hospital, emergency room, and mental health services and durable medical equipment.  

Starting in January 2009, the third phase would offer re-insurance-style coverage that will lower risk and help small employers access the private insurance market, ultimately leading to lower premiums for small businesses and increased access for small-business employees. Within five years, we believe that nearly 200,000 Missourians will gain access to health insurance through Insure Missouri.

Insure Missouri is a big step in the right direction that will expand access to quality and affordable health care to Missouri families. This new health care initiative will directly benefit hundreds of thousands of hard-working Missourians. By expanding the ranks of the insured in our state, it will lower health care costs for everyone, and just as importantly, it will make Missouri a state with greater opportunity for all Missourians.

Matt Blunt is governor of Missouri. He can be reached through his Web site at www.gov.mo.gov.