Spending more -- but in the wrong places

Among the first casualties of the spending shifts Gov. Bob Holden proposes for the state budget in the fiscal year beginning July 1 are poor Missourians who rely on Medicaid to pay for essential health care.

Thousands of Medicaid recipients will lose dental and eye coverage and over-the-counter medicines and will have to use their own money when medical services are provided -- cash most Medicaid recipients simply don't have.

These changes in Medicaid, most of which will be made administratively, are a sharp contrast to the nearly half a billion dollars the state will receive from the tobacco settlement (see editorial above) that will be spent on other programs that aren't health related.

Keep in mind these changes will occur in a budget year that projects an increase in overall state spending. Many Missourians will regard the governor's plans as spending in the wrong places.