A Comparison of Health Care Plans

SAINT LOUIS -- Now that news reports have revealed the actual cost of Congressman Kenny Hulshof's health care plan ($590 million), a quick comparison of the candidates' plans reveals that the Congressman's plan costs the state more than Attorney General Jay Nixon's, but will do less to cover Missourians and drive down costs for families. 

In addition, only Jay Nixon's plan will draw down hundreds of millions of new federal health care dollars -- which will not only help fix the state's health care crisis, but according to an op-ed in yesterday's Post-Dispatch, it will also create 11,500 new jobs and generate $890 million in new economic activity for the state. [St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Op-Ed, 9/2/08]

"Congressman Hulshof's plan costs the state more, but it does less to make health care more affordable for Missouri families," said Oren Shur, Nixon's campaign spokesman. "We need a significant change from Matt Blunt's failed health care policies, but Congressman Hulshof is basically offering more of the same.  Congressman Hulshof continues to support Gov. Blunt's massive health care cuts, and like Blunt, he wants to continue turning away hundreds of millions of federal health care dollars.  At a time when our health care system is broken and costs are skyrocketing for families, we cannot afford to keep sending our tax dollars to other states to pay for their health care needs. For both our broken health care system and our lagging economy, we need that money right here in Missouri. 

"We need to significantly reduce the number of uninsured, cover our kids and make health care more affordable for families.  Congressman Hulshof's plan will not do any of that.  Under Congressman Hulshof's plan, the only sure winner is the insurance companies. That's not the change we need."

Reducing the Number of Uninsured Missourians

Attorney General Nixon's Plan: Will restore coverage and benefits to the hundreds of thousands of Missourians who had it slashed by Gov. Blunt in 2005. 

Congressman Hulshof's Plan: Congressman Hulshof continues to support Blunt's massive health care cuts and his plan will not restore coverage to those hundreds of thousands of Missourians who had their insurance slashed. 

Driving Down Costs for Missouri Families

After Gov. Blunt slashed coverage from hundreds of thousands of Missourians in 2005, premiums for everyone who had insurance skyrocketed -- because costs were shifted to those with insurance.  Studies have shown that as the number of uninsured is reduced, the costs would be more manageable for those who still have insurance. According to the non-partisan organization Families USA, "with fewer uninsured people, less money will be needed to provide care for the uninsured.  This, in turn, will reduce the costs that are passed on to those who pay insurance premiums." (Families USA)

Attorney General Nixon's Plan: Would absolutely reduce the number of uninsured, and it would create more pressure on the market to drive down health care costs for Missouri families.  His plan would use also use technology and market forces to lower the costs by establishing the Show-Me Health Consumer Web page, a one-stop shop for Missourians to compare prices of health care plans, benefits and billing methods. 

Congressman Hulshof's Plan: Because it is unlikely to significantly reduce the number of uninsured, it is unlikely to significantly drive down costs for Missouri families.

Coverage for Missouri's 150,000 Uninsured Children

Attorney General Nixon's Plan:  Would restore coverage to children who had it slashed in 2005; reach out to families with children who are currently eligible for Medicaid/State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) but are not enrolled; and allowing families over 300 percent of the federal poverty level the opportunity to purchase affordable coverage for their children through SCHIP.  Under Nixon's plan, every child in Missouri would have access to affordable health coverage. 

Congressman Hulshof's Plan: Makes no mention of any effort to provide insurance to Missouri's 150,000 uninsured children.

Health Coverage for Poor and Disabled Missourians

Attorney General Nixon's Plan: Would restore coverage to poor and disabled Missourians who had their health care slashed by Gov. Blunt in 2005. Following Blunt's cuts, many poor and disabled Missourians were forced to quit their jobs in order to obtain health coverage. (Hear some of their stories)   Under Nixon's plan, those Missourians would be able to return to work and maintain their health coverage.

Congressman Hulshof's Plan:  By offering only $500 in guaranteed assistance per indigent person, the Congressman's plan would make it very difficult for a Missourian who is poor and with a disability or chronic illness to get the health care they need.  Kathleen Gillespie of the St. Louis University School of Health Management and Policy said plans like Hulshof's tend to favor healthy individuals with few medical needs: "I think one downside is that most of the plans that qualify for health savings accounts favor very high deductibles, in the neighborhood of $5,000-$10,000 for family coverage." [KWMU, 8/27/08]  

Cost to Missouri Taxpayers

Attorney General Nixon's Plan: Would cost the state of Missouri $265 million to implement. (That money would automatically draw down $431 million in new federal health care dollars that the state would otherwise be turning away.  That is money that Missourians already send to Washington, so it could be said that the taxpayers are already paying for 60 percent of Nixon's plan -- they just aren't getting the health care benefits in return.)

Congressman Hulshof's Plan: Would cost the state of Missouri $508 million to implement.  On the day the Congressman announced his plan, he first said it would cost $50 million. Then later that day the campaign said it would be closer to $70 million. Finally, by the end of the day, the Congressman's campaign admitted that the plan would cost $590 million in total ($508 in state funds + $82 million in matching funds).  The Hulshof campaign later was forced to say that "there was no attempt to pull the wool over anybody's eyes." [St. Louis Post-Dispatch Political Fix, 8/26/08; AP, 8/31/2008]

Drawing Down Federal Health Care Dollars

Attorney General Nixon's Plan: In the first year, would draw down $431 million in new federal health care matching dollars.  According to an op-ed in yesterday's St. Louis Post-Dispatch, these federal matching dollars will create 11,500 Missouri jobs and spur $890 million in economic activity in the state. [St. Louis Post-Dispatch, 9/2/08]

Congressman Hulshof's Plan: Would draw down just $82 million in new federal health care matching dollars. Under Hulshof's plan, the state would continue sending hundreds of millions of dollars a year to other states to pay for their health care systems and bolster their local economies. [AP, 8/31/08]

The Change We Need

Attorney General Nixon's Plan: Would fix Missouri's broken health care system by restoring the 2005 health care cuts, expanding access to children and using technology and market forces to make health insurance more affordable for Missouri families.

Congressman Hulshof's Plan: The Congressman continues to support Gov. Blunt's 2005 health care cuts and even called those cuts a "forward thinking" policy. [Associated Press, 02/18/08]   The Congressman's new plan does not restore Blunt's cuts, but rather, it draws "on many of the same … approaches that were the basis for Gov. Blunt's failed Insure Missouri proposal" [St. Louis Post-Dispatch Political Fix, 8/26/08]