Missouri Hospitals Continue To Lobby For Increased State Funding For Indigent Care

The Missouri Hospital Association will continue lobbying for increased state funding after voters rejected a ballot measure that would have generated about $289 million for hospitals that provide care to low-income residents, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports (Feldstein, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, 11/12). Amendment 3, which failed by a 52% to 48% margin, would have increased the state cigarette tax from 17 cents per pack to 97 cents per pack and would have tripled the tax on other tobacco products (Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, 11/8). The amendment was projected to generate about $350 million, most of which would have gone to hospitals to help pay for indigent care. Missouri hospitals in 2004 spent more than $153.7 million on providing care to low-income patients who could not afford to pay, the Post-Dispatch reports. MHA said it will continue to lobby for more state funding for hospitals but likely would be more open to compromise measures. Meanwhile, Gov. Matt Blunt (R) is expected to announce a Medicaid reform plan in January 2007. The state Medicaid program must be reauthorized by June 30, 2008, when it is scheduled to expire. Blunt is considering restricting some services for some patients, requiring higher copayments and limiting access to hospital emergency departments. Critics of Blunt’s proposals say the restrictions could limit access to care and increase costs for hospitals in the long-term. Many health care providers want lawmakers to use an expected $300 million to $500 million budget surplus to restore Medicaid cuts enacted last year. Joel Ferber, managing attorney for the health and welfare unit of Legal Services of Eastern Missouri, said, “There’s so much evidence that imposing more cost-sharing on low-income people might cause them to forgo necessary care” (St. Louis Post-Dispatch, 11/12).

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