Health & Mental Health

Promotes accessible and competent health care for all Missourians, adequate funding for health care programs, and consumer protections against mistreatment by managed care systems.

Rapid changes are occurring in the debate regarding Gov. Blunt's proposal "Insure MO". New legislative proposals would change the substance of the original plan. Read the analysis of SB1283 by Medicaid expert Joel Ferber

Governor Blunt's "Insure Missouri" proposal is a step in the right direction to provide publicly subsidized health coverage for at least some of those who have lost Medicaid coverage in the last few years. However, much more will need to be done to restore coverage to all who lost it, let alone provide universal care. For more information, read:

Families USA Report: Dying For Coverage

Using data collected from the Institute of Medicine study in 2002 that found 18,000 deaths and the Urban Institute study in 2006 that deaths found 22,000 deaths per year for lack of health coverage, Families USA Families compiled a report that gives a state level report of how many Americans are dying for lack of health coverage. The report demonstrates that 10 Missourians die each week due to lack of coverage. View the report here.

TASK FORCE GOALS FOR 2008

The Missouri Association for Social Welfare Health Access Project supports the Institute of Medicine’s principles for health care reform, but expands these to include oral health and mental health care. These principles are: Health care coverage should be universal, continuous, affordable to individuals and families, affordable and sustainable to society, and should enhance health and well-being by promoting access to high-quality care that is effective, efficient, safe, timely, patient-centered and equitable.

GOALS:

Support legislation that increases the number of people in Missouri who have access to health care and moves us closer to universal coverage;
Increase funding for mental health services to expand coverage of persons in need and increase reimbursement rates for providers;
Maintain a consistent public dialogue about health care delivery system problems and affordable, equitable solutions utilizing media, meetings, forums, surveys, reports, conferences, collaborations, and partnerships;
Fully participate with local, state and national partners, including mental health advocates and organizations, in the opportunities to expand coverage at the state and national levels.

View an updated list of legislation MASW is following on Health

The MASW Health Access Project

The project works to educate about health care delivery system inequities and strategies for reform. We believe that any systemic reform must include access to quality health care, including oral health care and mental health care. We support the Institute of Medicine’s principles for health care reform:

Health care coverage should be universal
Health care coverage should be continuous
Health care coverage should be affordable to individuals and families.
The health insurance strategy should be affordable and sustainable to society.
Health care coverage should enhance health and well-being by promoting access to high-quality care that is effective, efficient, safe, timely, patient-centered and equitable.

A list of upcoming meetings is available on the MASW Calendar page. A list of related web sites is available on the MASW Links page.

If you are interested in participating in the Health Task Force, please contact MASW.

Staffed by Brian Colby.

Updated: 04/29/2008