Monday, February 28, 2005
Contact: Spence Jackson, (573)751-0290
Blunt Announces Improvements to the First Steps Program
Federal Funding Preserved; Requires Private Insurance to Cover Most Common Services
SPRINGFIELD—Continuing his strong commitment to Missouri children, Gov. Matt Blunt today announced a new First Steps program that ensures state aid will be available to children with developmental disabilities. Blunt’s revisions include a proposed change to state law requiring insurance companies to cover the most common services provided to children with developmental disabilities, a modest family cost participation scale for those who can financially afford to pay, and a regionalized plan to improve the delivery of services by providers.
"Our new First Steps plan honors the commitment I have made to children who are currently in the program as well as those who will benefit from it in the future," Blunt said. "These changes will improve the delivery of services and provide cost-savings for taxpayers. I am grateful to the First Steps providers and the parents of children in the program for their input throughout this process and I look forward to working with the General Assembly to enact these needed revisions."
House Budget Chairman Brad Lager is sponsoring legislation to enact Blunt's proposals that require changes to state law. The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) will continue to administer the program but the new structure will provide more opportunities to work with the Department of Mental Health on eliminating the duplication of administration that currently exists saving state tax dollars and better serving children.
The central financing office within DESE will oversee fiscal eligibility issues and will collect money from insurance companies for families enrolled in the program.
Blunt's plan will require insurance companies to cover services most used by First Steps eligible children such as physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy, and assistive technology. This program will also continue to access Medicaid to cover eligible children. State tax dollars and fees collected through the family participation program will be used to help pay for those services that fall through the gaps and are not covered through private insurance and Medicaid.
Blunt's changes will not impact the state’s ability to receive federal funding. The family cost participation fees for those who can afford to pay will range from $5 to $100 per month. All fees collected from private insurance and family participation will be earmarked for a First Steps Fund that will be used solely for the provision of services and to help curb the programs 12 percent annual growth over the last three years.
Regionalizing the management of service distribution will allow better local oversight over how services are provided to First Steps children and will give the state better oversight over the actual costs of those services.