Governor’s Column - January 26, 2007
by Governor Matt Blunt
Providing Better Health Care for Missourians Who Need It The Most
In my report to Missouri on the State of State, I highlighted many priorities, beginning with health care. As I visit with Missouri families, one of their biggest concerns is access to quality, affordable health care. Missourians are also concerned about care for the vulnerable, the sick and the poor. In my address, I outlined a new proposal that will help provide greater access to health care, better health by focusing on prevention and wellness, and more choices for Missourians who need the most care.
The old Medicaid system was bankrupting our state but, even more importantly, the old system was failing our most vulnerable citizens. The changes we made saved Medicaid and set us on a course to dramatically improve care for the sick and the poor. With the advice and suggestions of thousands of Missourians, we developed MO HealthNet to replace the old Medicaid system.
What I proposed with MO HealthNet is not a minor reform. It is an entirely new system. The Medicaid program we inherited was a paper-based system, basically unchanged from its original 1967 model. MO HealthNet will put people first.
The old Medicaid failed to focus on prevention and wellness. MO HealthNet will improve the health of the sick and the poor. With MO HealthNet, for the first time in Missouri history, we will guarantee that every participant has access to primary and preventative care.
MO HealthNet recognizes that Missourians should all have one central point of contact and a doctor who knows them personally. Our proposal provides this access by empowering participants to choose their health care home. Participants will also have access to a health risk assessment to develop a plan of care for improved health and, help to avoid unnecessary emergency room visits and unnecessary hospitalizations.
Under MO HealthNet, the most vulnerable participants would have access to the Chronic Care Improvement Program, because our proposal recognizes that some people need more help and attention than others.
Unlike Medicaid, MO HealthNet will pay care providers for results, not just visits or tests. In addition to providing all of these benefits, MO HealthNet will also give participants incentives.
Perhaps most importantly, MO HealthNet will empower the participants to make their own health care choices. MO HealthNet will significantly expand the number of participants who are allowed to choose their own health plan or to purchase health insurance. We should provide options for care so participants can choose a health care plan that is right for them.
Our MO HealthNet is not just about reforming the old system but creating an entirely new system to deliver health care services to low-income Missourians. The old Medicaid was about sickness. The new MO HealthNet will be about prevention and wellness.