Opinion: Medicaid reform would strengthen Missouri

The Missouri hospital community appreciates Gov. Jay Nixon’s commitment to a dialogue with lawmakers about strengthening Missouri’s health care system in 2015.

Throughout the past 12 months, two rural hospitals have closed and the increasing fiscal pressures on hospitals throughout the state are putting many more at risk. Missourians understand the problem and want a solution that makes the state stronger.

Policymakers have an opportunity to significantly reform the state’s Medicaid program in 2015 by designing a plan that works best for Missouri. Such a plan would protect the state fiscally; increase the value of the program for taxpayers, enrollees and providers; and reflect the values of the state.

Missourians also understand the risks that such uninsured groups as veterans and women face when they aren’t able to access preventive services, such as mammography screenings. Missourians deserve a conversation about how Medicaid can make the lives of their friends, family and neighbors better.

In the coming months, Nixon and members of the Missouri House of Representatives and Missouri Senate can demonstrate their commitment to making the Medicaid program more efficient while improving the quality of care within Medicaid. They can design a program that protects taxpayers and encourages enrollees to use the system efficiently.

There is a way forward in 2015, but it needs to be a Medicaid reform plan that works for Missouri and Missourians.

—Herb Kuhn, president and CEO, Missouri Hospital Association[[In-content Ad]]