The Senate on April 23 gave preliminary approval to a revived version of Insure Missouri, a health care proposal Gov. Matt Blunt proposed with much fanfare last fall that seemingly died after encountering stiff legislative resistance, especially in the House of Representatives. While the new proposal, SB 1283, bears the Insure Missouri name and contains some features of the governor’s plan, it is actually modeled on an Indiana law that provides government subsidies for some low-income workers to buy private health insurance.
Under the bill, Missourians ages 19 to 64 with jobs that pay up to 225 percent of the federal poverty level could qualify if affordable health care isn’t available through their employer and if they pay $1,000 a year into a health care savings account. As with the original Insure Missouri, SB 1283 wouldn’t extend benefits to the elderly, disabled or children, nor would it restore coverage to the more than 180,000 Missourians who lost it due to the governor’s 2005 Medicaid cuts.
Under the bill, Missourians ages 19 to 64 with jobs that pay up to 225 percent of the federal poverty level could qualify if affordable health care isn’t available through their employer and if they pay $1,000 a year into a health care savings account. As with the original Insure Missouri, SB 1283 wouldn’t extend benefits to the elderly, disabled or children, nor would it restore coverage to the more than 180,000 Missourians who lost it due to the governor’s 2005 Medicaid cuts.
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