Tuesday, March 22, 2005
Contact: Spence Jackson, (573)751-0290
Blunt Discusses Children’s Issues During Visit to Kansas City Children’s Hospital
KANSAS CITY—Missouri Governor Matt Blunt discussed his Fiscal Year 2006 budget proposals that include maintaining state funding for the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), increasing funding for public schools, and improvements to the First Steps program during a visit today to Children’s Mercy Hospital.
Missouri’s CHIP program has extended health coverage to more than 87,000 children since its inception in 1998 at an annual expenditure of just over $1,000 per child. Blunt pledged to protect eligibility in the program as a candidate for governor last year. Investing in the CHIP program gives low-income children access to health care, improve their health and their parents’ overall quality of life.
Healthier children miss less time in school which makes the dollars the state invests in education more effective.
Blunt’s budget also includes a significant $170.6 million, 4.7 percent increase for Missouri’s public schools. Local teachers, school administrators and school board members throughout the state have endorsed Blunt’s proposal and are actively encouraging the Missouri General Assembly to approve the funding increase. Blunt’s predecessor withheld millions of dollars from Missouri classrooms creating budget challenges for school districts of all sizes throughout the state.
Honoring a commitment he made after his State of the State address, Blunt has proposed a series of improvements to First Steps, a state program that funds special services for developmentally disabled children. Blunt’s proposal would mandate insurance companies to cover some of the most common services provided to these children like physical, speech and occupational therapies and assistive technology services.
The improved First Steps program will look to insurance companies to pay first, Medicaid to pay second if possible, and state taxpayers to pay last. Blunt’s proposed improvements also call for a reasonable family participation plan based on income to help sustain the financial stability of the program. Blunt has repeatedly said that no child will be denied services if their parents do not have the resources or are not eligible for any other assistance programs.
Blunt’s budget includes a $5 million increase for Missouri’s Parents as Teachers (PAT) Program. This increase will enable PAT to work with more than 10,500 additional families statewide. Blunt said "PAT also contributes to the health of Missouri children by providing early screenings to identify potential health problems."
"Missouri’s children are our future and it is imperative that we as a state continue to set policy based on their best interests," Blunt said. "The budget and legislative initiatives I have proposed reaffirm my strong commitment to public education and to the health and well-being of young Missourians. I look forward to working with the legislature in the coming weeks on enacting changes that reflect these important priorities."