Protect MO HealthNet

Changes to Medicaid will result in Missourians losing health care coverage and destabilize the state budget and economy. In Missouri, federal funding covers 65% of the cost of Medicaid in Missouri, providing vital revenue that stabilizes Missouri’s entire state budget, including non-healthcare services. As a result, cuts or changes to the Medicaid funding will put extra burdens on our state budget, including in critical areas like K-12 education, and will negatively impact access to health care and affordability. In Missouri, cuts to Medicaid could take away coverage from: 🔸Nearly two in five children – nearly half of the children living in rural Missouri. 🔸One in eight adults aged 19-64, and the majority are working in jobs that do not provide access to affordable health insurance. 🔸Nearly 100,000 older adults, 9% of Missouri seniors, are covered by Medicaid. 🔸More than 120,000 adults under the age of 65 with a disability. 🔸2/3 of all nursing home care. 🔸At least 38% of births in the state Medicaid is an economic issue for Missourians. It helps Missourians be healthy so they can work to support their families. When people are insured, they can afford to get the care they need before it turns into a more serious health problem that would send them into medical debt. Medicaid covers nursing and home care for older adults that would otherwise be unaffordable for most families. Medicaid provides vital services that enable older adults and people with disabilities to live independently in their homes for as long as possible, instead of being forced into a nursing home. ✳️More uninsured Missourians also means more uncompensated costs, which must be absorbed locally and by providers and taxpayers. That means higher health care costs for all of us. Medicaid is a lifeline for rural Missourians. More than one in four rural Missourians, including more than half of rural children, depend on Medicaid for health insurance. Medicaid fills gaps in coverage for rural Missourians who tend to have limited access to higher paying jobs that provide health insurance. ✳️Medicaid helps rural health care providers stay afloat, creating critical jobs in Missouri’s rural communities and ensuring that providers are available to care for residents using both Medicaid and private insurance. Medicaid provides vital access to health care for Missourians. Missourians covered by Medicaid are more likely to get preventive care, better manage chronic disease, and access lifesaving cancer treatment early. Children covered by Medicaid miss fewer school days, perform better in school, are more likely to finish high school, and earn more as adults than their peers without coverage. Medicaid increases early-stage cancer diagnoses, and provides access to timely cancer prevention, screenings and treatment. Bob, you’re a physician. Stand up for your constituents.