Insure Missouri program cut from budget

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Spending for Gov. Matt Blunt's "Insure Missouri" program got eliminated from the budget Monday night by legislative negotiators, ensuring a second setback for the governor who had first planned to start the program this spring, then set his sights for summer.

Without any money in the budget, the plan to expand government-subsidized health care to low-income workers cannot take effect -- even if the new program were authorized by lawmakers under separate legislation.

The Senate passed legislation Monday that would create a revised version of Insure Missouri that eventually could cover a projected 200,000 Missourians currently lacking insurance. But House Speaker Rod Jetton has said that bill has no chance of passing without significant changes. The legislative session ends May 16.

Acknowledging the fading prospects of the legislation, House and Senate budget negotiators eliminated the $353 million that had been set aside for Insure Missouri for the budget year starting July 1. Even that amount had been less than the $375 million Blunt had requested.

House Budget chairman Allen Icet and Senate Appropriations chairman Gary Nodler said the governor's office could ask for the money later if the bill authorizing the program were to pass. But unless Blunt were to call a special legislative session this year, lawmakers won't consider spending items again until 2009 -- and by then, Missouri will have a new governor.

Blunt's director of the Department of Social Services expressed disappointment as she left the committee room where lawmakers had eliminated the Insure Missouri spending.

"While we would have liked to have gotten it going, and were certainly ready to launch, it's worthy of this kind of public scrutiny and debate, and I'm still hopeful," said director Deborah Scott.