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Missouri Quick Facts

More Than 720,000 Missourians Have No Health Insurance. According to the most recent U.S. Census Current Population Survey the number of Missourians who lacked health insurance in 2007 was 729,000. [U.S. Census Bureau, Current Population Survey 2007, http://pubdb3.census.gov/macro/032008/health/h05_000.htm ]

150,000 Missouri Children Have No Health Insurance. According to the most recent U.S. Census Current Population Survey the number of Missouri children under the age of 18 who lacked health insurance in 2007 was 150,000. This is an increase of 23,000 Missouri children from the previous year according to the Census's 2006 data, which indicated 127,000 Missouri children lacked health insurance. [ U.S. Census Bureau, Current Population Survey 2007, http://pubdb3.census.gov/macro/032008/health/h05_000.htm ; U.S. Census Bureau, Current Population Survey 2006,http://pubdb3.census.gov/macro/032007/health/h05_000.htm ]

Over 28,500 Children Lost S-CHIP Coverage After The 2005 Medicaid Cuts. In a report written by Joel Ferber about Children's Participation in S-CHIP, he writes, “Based on data from the Missouri Department of Social Services, participation in Missouri 's SCHIP program declined from 92,053 children in September 2005 to 63,553 in July 2006 – a decrease of 28,500 children.” [Measuring The Decline In Children's Participation In The Missouri Medicaid Program: An Update, 9/2006; http://www.masw.org/healthaccess/Measuring%20the%20Decline.pdf ]

Missouri Has Turned Down More Than $1.5 Billion In Federal Dollars Since Matt Blunt Slashed Medicaid. Between Fiscal Years 2006 and 2009, Missouri turned down $1.6 Billion in federal matching funds, which would have been received if Matt Blunt had not cut Medicaid in 2005. Estimates from the Department of Social Services show that in FY2009 alone, Missouri will be losing $431.2 million in federal matching dollars that it would receive had Matt Blunt not cut Medicaid. [Estimates from the Department of Social Services, SB 539 (2005) and HB 11 (2005) Budget Actions; Information provided is based on most recent estimates as of March 5, 2008 ]

Under Matt Blunt, The Number Of Uninsured Has Increased By 103,500. According to a report published by St. Louis University 's School of Public Health , “ The number of uninsured in Missouri increased by over 103,500 in 2006 as compared to 2005, according to data released by the U.S. Census Bureau today. The Census Bureau data were collected in March 2007, but reflect health insurance coverage in 2006, so they are the first data to fully reflect the effects of statewide Medicaid cuts enacted in Missouri during 2005, and fully phased in by the fall of 2005. Administrative estimates from the State of Missouri have shown that over 100,000 persons lost Medicaid eligibility during 2005, but until today it was not fully known how many persons were not able to obtain other insurance coverage.” [ Saint Louis University , Center for Health Policy Analysis, Policy Brief #1, 8/28/2007; http://pages.slu.edu/faculty/mcbridet/HPCenter_Brief1.pdf ]

More People Are Uninsured In Missouri Than In Six Out Of The Eight Of States With Which We Share A Border. Missouri has more uninsured individuals than in six out of the eight states with which we share a boarder. Missouri had 772,000 uninsured according to the most recent census data, while all bordering states, with the exceptions of Illinois and Tennessee , had fewer than 700,000 uninsured. [US Census Bureau, http://www.census.gov/hhes/www/hlthins/historic/hihistt4.html , 8/28/2007]

Matt Blunt's Medicaid Plan Slashed Health Care For 400,000 Missourians, Including 100,000 Who Lost Their Coverage Completely. Matt Blunt's cuts to Medicaid cut care for 400,000 Missourians, including 100,000 who lost coverage completely. According to the Missouri Citizen Education Fund, “Senate Bill 539 cut about 100,000 Missourians off of Medicaid completely, while another 300,000 lost services. This bill narrowed income eligibility requirements, increased premiums for those who still qualified, and cut out critical benefits such as dental coverage and wheelchair batteries. As noted above, the new 2006 data suggests that these Missourians who lost their coverage in 2005 are still uninsured in 2006.” [Summary of Medicaid Cuts Adopted in the 2005 Legislative Session, 5/23/05, http://www.mfhc.org/downloadfile.php?id=115 ; Missouri Citizen Education Fund, The State of Working Missouri 2007: Health Insecurity on the Rise, August 2007; http://www.missouriprovote.org/Docs/EARN_State_of_working_MO_2007.pdf ; Associated Press, 7/22/2008; St. Louis Post-Dispatch, 5/18/2008; St. Louis Post-Dispatch, 9/23/2007]

Premiums Increased For Missouri Families By $1,959 From 2004 To 2006. In Missouri , the average health care premium for a working family receiving employer-sponsored health care coverage increased by $1,959 from 2004 to 2006. In Missouri , the average health care premium for a family was $11,171 in 2006, while the average health care premium for a family was $9,212 in 2004. [Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. Average total family premium in dollars) per enrolled employee at private-sector establishments that offer health insurance by firm size and State (Table II.D.1), years 1996-2006: 2006 (July 2008). Medical Expenditure Panel Survey Insurance Component Tables. Generated using MEPSnet/IC, http://www.meps.ahrq.gov/mepsnet/IC/MEPSnetIC.jsp July 17, 2008]

Health Care Premiums Have Risen 78% Between 2001 and 2007 – Far Outpacing Wage Growth. According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, “Since 2001, premiums for family coverage have increased 78 percent, while wages have gone up 19 percent.”

[Kaiser Family Foundation, http://www.kff.org/insurance/ehbs091107nr.cfm ]

Missouri Ranks 37 th In Overall Health Care Quality. According to the Springfield News-Leader, a study by the not-for-profit Commonwealth Fund foundation ranked Missouri 37 th in the nation in terms of overall health quality. The News-Leader wrote, “The study, from the not-for-profit Commonwealth Fund foundation, an organization that regularly releases health care studies, ranks Missouri 37th in the nation in terms of overall health care quality. The Commonwealth Fund takes a big-picture view of fairly comparable statistics to determine a state's health. In this study, it ranked 32 different indicators in five basic categories: access to care, quality of care, affordable hospital costs, equity and overall health of the population.”

[ Springfield News-Leader, 6/25/2007; The Commonwealth Fund State Scorecards, http://www.commonwealthfund.org/statescorecard/statescorecard_show.htm?doc_id=495840#dim01 ]

Number Of Uninsured Missourians “Skyrocketed” In 2006 To Three Times The National Rate. According to Matthew Franck of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, “The number of Missourians who don't have health insurance skyrocketed at three times the national rate in 2006, according to census figures released Tuesday. Health experts say the jump offers evidence that many people cut from the state's Medicaid program two years ago have failed to find other medical coverage .” [ St. Louis Post-Dispatch, 8/29/2007]