JEFFERSON CITY — To provide improved access to quality health care services for citizens across Missouri, Sen. Joe Keaveny, D-St. Louis, was appointed to serve on the Senate Interim Committee on Medicaid Transformation and Reform. The interim committee was established after the conclusion of the First Regular Session of the 97th General Assembly on May 17. One of the purposes of the interim committee is to develop methods to help prevent fraud and abuse in the MO HealthNet system.

The establishment of the Senate Interim Committee on Medicaid Transformation and Reform is in response to debate about health care services in Missouri. One of Sen. Keaveny’s top legislative priorities throughout the 2013 legislative session was the expansion of Missouri’s Medicaid program under the federal Affordable Care Act. The Medicaid program serves low-income individuals, children, pregnant women, individuals with disabilities, and senior citizens. Senator Keaveny notes that expanding the Medicaid program would have provided health care to thousands of low-income citizens, in addition to creating up to 24,000 new jobs in the first year of the expansion. However, attempts to expand Medicaid throughout the 2013 legislative session were defeated.

“I’m disappointed that the Missouri Legislature did not expand our state’s Medicaid program this year, but I am hopeful this committee will determine a plan for the Legislature to help improve access to health care for our most vulnerable citizens and utilize federal dollars that belong to Missourians,” Sen. Keaveny said.

Senator Keaveny will collaborate with nine of his colleagues in the Missouri Senate who will also serve on the legislative panel. The committee is charged with the following responsibilities:

• Find more efficient and cost-effective ways to provide coverage for MO HealthNet participants;
• Evaluate how coverage for MO HealthNet participants can resemble that of commercially available health plans while complying with federal Medicaid requirements;
• Promote healthy behavior by encouraging patients to take ownership of their health care and seek early preventative care;
• Consider the best manner in which to provide incentives, including a shared risk and savings to health plans and providers to encourage cost-effective delivery of care; and
• Find ways that individuals who currently receive medical care coverage through the MO HealthNet program can transition to obtaining their health coverage through the private sector.

The Senate Interim Committee on Medicaid Transformation and Reform may hold public hearings, determined by the committee chair, throughout the legislative interim. The committee is charged with issuing a report and recommendations regarding Missouri’s health care system to the General Assembly by Dec. 15, 2013.

For more information about the Senate Interim Committee on Medicaid Transformation and Reform, visit the committee’s website at www.senate.mo.gov/13info/comm/interim/simr.htm.