A GOOD RATE FOR HEALTH CARE

In a strange case, a man who robbed a Cape Girardeau store -- and who has a prior murder conviction to his credit -- has told a judge that he wanted to be put in prison because he has cancer and needs medical treatment that he can't otherwise afford.

Jerry W. Strong was accommodated by Circuit Judge William Syler during a recent sentencing hearing in Jackson. Strong received a 30-year prison sentence, and he also will have to complete a life sentence for murder in Georgia -- if he lives so long.

The bizarre case has brought to light some information on the cost of providing medical care for Missouri's fast-growing prison population. The state contracts with a private firm to provide medical care to each inmate for a fixed rate of $4.37 a day, regardless of medical condition. That's about $1,600 a year or $133 a month -- significantly less than most working Missourians pay for health-care coverage.

Is it possible that medical coverage could be provided to all Missourians for that attractive rate? After all, most Missourians are in better health than many prison inmates, who generally aren't known for practicing good health habits.