How is it doing?

Some recent analyses are cause for concern. The system has come under scrutiny due to its subpar safety and quality ratings. According to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), MU Health Care holds a 2-star rating out of a possible five, indicating below-average performance in various critical areas.

One of the most concerning aspects of MU Health Care’s performance is patient safety. Reports suggest that patients at this facility are more susceptible to adverse events such as falls resulting in injuries, including broken hips, collapsed lungs, and dangerous blood clots. Additionally, the hospital has received poor ratings concerning its error prevention practices, notably in safe medication administration and adherence to hand-washing protocols.

In stark contrast, university-affiliated teaching hospitals in neighboring states have demonstrated superior performance. The University of Chicago Medical Center in Illinois, for instance, has achieved its 25th consecutive ‘A’ grade from The Leapfrog Group, a national watchdog organization that evaluates hospital safety.

Similarly, institutions such as Vanderbilt University Hospital in Tennessee and the University of Kentucky Albert B. Chandler Hospital have secured higher safety grades, reflecting a stronger commitment to patient safety and quality care.

Financially, MU Health Care’s operations raise further questions. According to the Sage Transparency tool, a tool that tracks hospital system’s finances, the system enjoys a 77 percent profit margin, significantly exceeding the national average of 10.5 percent. This disparity prompts concerns about whether financial priorities are overshadowing the imperative of patient care and safety.

Apparently, a 77% profit margin is not enough for MU Health Care’s executives. Now the public is learning MU Health Care executives are threatening to terminate their contract with Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield in Missouri, leaving thousands of Missourians with limited access, unless Anthem agrees to a 3-year, 39% price increase. According to the Health Action Network, this would result in $132 million higher healthcare costs for Missouri families and taxpayers. Thankfully, Anthem is standing firm, but that’s no consolation for the tens of thousands of patients whose care could be disrupted due to MU’s demands.

If they’re not using the money they have or the money they’re trying to get from Anthem customers toward better patient care, what are they doing? A quick look at headlines tells us MU Health Care has been actively expanding its operations. In 2024, it announced plans to fully integrate with its long-time affiliate, Capital Region Medical Center. Additionally, the system embarked on a $232 million project aimed at centralizing its facilities, described as one of the most ambitious in its history. Earlier this year, the governing board approved $70 million worth of renovation projects.

While expansion and modernization are essential for any healthcare institution, they must be balanced with a steadfast commitment to patient safety and quality care. The current trajectory of MU Health Care suggests a misalignment of priorities, where infrastructural growth and financial gains may be taking precedence over the well-being of patients.

The discrepancies in quality between MU Health Care and its regional counterparts underscore the need for introspection and reform. Leaders at the hospital clearly would like to see the system grow and expand in prestige, but their issues with quality betray that they’re putting the cart before the horse and forgetting that their chief mission is to take care of patients. Patients deserve assurance that their healthcare providers adhere to the highest standards of safety and quality and the money they invest in those institutions through premiums, co-pays, or direct payments are going toward better patient care. Before they ask Missouri consumer and patients for more money, it is imperative for MU Health Care to address these deficiencies promptly, realign its focus towards patient-centered care, and implement robust safety protocols to restore public trust and ensure that it no longer lags behind its peers in delivering exceptional healthcare services.

Chris Arps

Chris Arps is a conservative talk radio show host.

The post Opinion: When MU Health Care values profits over patients, Missouri suffers appeared first on The Missouri Times.

Studies show that a lack of dental insurance is the number one barrier to receiving dental care, which negatively impacts the overall health of individuals. “Dental Loss Ratios” were approved by voters in Massachusetts in 2022. Effective on January 1, 2024, the new law is predicted to cause a 38% increase in premium rates for small group and individual plans for dental care, according to an independent actuarial study.

In fact, five dental insurers have already announced they will exit the small group employer market in Massachusetts.

Access to dental care is critical for overall health at all ages. According to the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services, 29 percent of 3rd grade children in the state have untreated tooth decay, which is a top reason that children miss school. In addition, periodontal (gum) disease, caused by poor oral hygiene, can result in pain and tooth loss, and also may increase risk of heart disease or make existing heart conditions worse, according to many sources. Access to quality preventive dental care – which Massachusetts’ new law puts into jeopardy – can help prevent illnesses which can be costly or fatal for Missourians.

Unfortunately, here in Missouri, special interests are seeking dental loss ratio reforms that will likely have similar results. We believe that this East Coast solution is not a good fit for our state. We would encourage our colleagues in the Missouri General Assembly to review this matter and oppose efforts to make it harder for Missourians to have access to dental care.

The post Opinion: Mandated dental loss ratios will be a financial hardship for Missouri families appeared first on The Missouri Times.

DSS was allowed to continue to conduct eligibility assessments this past April, beginning the process of determining coverage. DSS also sent out warnings about the annual renewals and currently has a message on its website telling Medicaid recipients to check their mail and update their mailing addresses if needed. 

Many Missourians will lose their coverage due to changes in their eligibility status. There are a wide range of factors that determine eligibility for Medicaid. 

But many people tend to lose coverage, even if they are still eligible. According to a survey on the 2018-2019 enrollment period done by the Missouri Budget Project, surveyed providers found that 87% of patients that lost coverage “still met income eligibility requirements, but lost coverage due solely to challenges in the renewal process.” Furthermore, over 84% “were unaware of the coverage loss until scheduling or attending an appointment.” 

Some of these challenges turn out to be simple mistakes, such as moving houses but not updating the address or not receiving renewal paperwork in the mail. 

Although enrollment dates vary based on the recipient, July 1 is the date on which Missourians can actually lose their coverage. Some groups are wary that many eligible recipients will lose coverage come July 1 and the months following. 

Missouri Coalition for Primary Health Care (MPCA) assists federally qualified healthcare centers with healthcare and training. The organization has been reaching out to Medicaid recipients to try and prevent some of the potential coverage loss. 

Iva Eggert-Shepherd, senior outreach program manager at (MPCA), talked about what Medicaid recipients can do to avoid losing coverage if they are still eligible 

“It is so important at this time to be watching your mail all the time, responding to all the forms that are sent to you…and also making sure that your address is updated with the family support division,” she said. 

Eggert-Shepherd also talked about some of the more intricate parts of the renewal system, including the dates. You can expect to get renewal paperwork about a month before your renewal date. 

“We are focused on doing everything we can at the Missouri Primary Care Association to help people keep their insurance,” she said. 

If you need help with your Medicaid coverage you visit the DSS Family Support Division website or the showmecoverage website. You can also call showmecoverage at 417-840-6788.

The post Missourians could lose Medicaid coverage starting July 1 appeared first on The Missouri Times.

The Kirksville City Council in October approved the transfer of city-owned land and a rezoning of some 170 acres for the second hospital to be built in the city of just over 17,500, to be operated by the nonprofit Hannibal Regional Healthcare System (HRHS) out of Hannibal.

A Memorandum of Understanding between Kirksville and HRHS, which includes moving the city’s planned water tower on the site, says the “strategic collaboration” between the city and HRHS would “improve the quality of the delivery of healthcare services in the Kirksville community and surrounding service area.”

“Definitely, this will be a good thing for the community,” Kirksville City Council member Kabir Bansa said at the time. “I’m just looking forward to seeing this come to fruition.”

Others who have contacted The Heartlander worry that Kirksville doesn’t have either the need or capacity to support two medical campuses; that the needed workers and infrastructure aren’t there; and that the project could put both hospitals at financial risk.

Credit agency Fitch Ratings announced in November it had revised HRHS’s ratings outlook to “negative” from “stable,” citing “uncertainty around capital spending and the potential issuance of new debt to address infrastructure issues at the system’s main campus …”

The agency added that “additional debt has not been incorporated into the rating, but given HRHS’ limited debt capacity at its current rating a downgrade is likely if a material inpatient or outpatient project moves forward.”

The Heartlander has forwarded to HRHS a series of questions on its expansion plans, including whether the medical need, labor force and infrastructure are there for a second hospital in Kirksville; why it isn’t expanding to a community without an existing hospital; whether the Fitch ratings are a red flag; and whether a second hospital in Kirksville might put both at financial risk.

Northeast Regional Hospital, Kirksville’s existing hospital, declined to comment for this story. The hospital describes itself as “a 93-bed facility with a Level III trauma center, Level III STEMI center, Level III stroke center and ACC Certified Chest Pain Center. … With more than 500 healthcare professionals, Northeast Regional Medical Center is a teaching hospital associated with the founding school of osteopathic medicine. Northeast Regional Medical Center has a 4-Star CMS Quality Star rating.”

Despite Hannibal’s ambitiousness, the financial environment for rural Missouri hospitals has not been bullish in recent years:

• A year ago Noble Health announced Audrain Community Hospital in Mexico, Missouri, and Callaway Community Hospital in Fulton were suspending operations due to restructuring and finances.
• Executives at Scotland County Hospital in Memphis last fall were fighting to save the facility, after alleged financial improprieties and having lost money five years in a row.
• In Milan, the prospect of closing its doors hangs over Sullivan County Memorial Hospital’s urging the community to renew a half-percent sales tax April 4.

“Some people just simply don’t have good transportation or they don’t even have it – just too much trouble for them,” Sullivan County Memorial Hospital Board member Jim Heato told a local media outlet. “So there are people, plenty of people … that just simply wouldn’t receive health care otherwise. So it’s critical that this hospital remain here to serve the people of this county.”

• In 2019 David Lane Byrns, the former CEO of Putnam County Memorial Hospital in Unionville, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit health care fraud. Federal officials say he agreed to a forfeiture judgment of $5.1 million.

Byrns and others, feds say, “arranged for urine drug tests (UDTs) and blood tests to be performed on a massive scale at diagnostic testing laboratories outside Missouri, on behalf of individuals who were not Putnam patients and who otherwise had no connection to Putnam.”

They used samples “from substance abuse treatment centers, sober living homes, physicians’ offices and other sources throughout the United States, in exchange for a portion of the insurance reimbursements. Many of the tests conducted were medically unnecessary.  Byrns and his co-conspirators billed the tests to private insurers and to the Missouri Medicaid program using Putnam’s billing credentials.”

A 2017 audit of Putnam discovered $90 million in illegal billings. Last June, a jury convicted two Florida men “in a conspiracy to operate a multi-state $1.4 billion billing scheme that used rural hospitals to submit fraudulent claims.”

The post As rural Missouri hospitals struggle, Hannibal’s is expanding to Kirksville but is it viable? appeared first on The Missouri Times.

“Is the patient a Democrat or a Republican?” 

That’s not a question anyone would want to hear their doctor ask at a clinic; it’s absurd and inappropriate. In the same spirit, political parties choosing to label candidates like myself as “non-endorsable” in a nonpartisan election is unnecessary and inapt. There is enough division in the election process as is—we don’t need negative messaging being put out against candidates by political parties in local races where they don’t even have a partisan designation.

I’m not shaken by these actions of the local Democratic Party here in Platte County, just disappointed. After attending both the Democrats’ and Republicans’ candidate forums, I had really hoped that this April 4th election could be a bridge for common ground and cooperative solutions beyond the usual political bickering—but, apparently, I was wrong. 

Upon asking for the reasoning for this unexpected hit against me, their distaste was directed at my press release mentioning “facts over fear,” my concern over some past health board policies (such as spending reserve funds on a new—still empty—building during a pandemic), and that the other party had already chosen to give me their unsolicited endorsement.

Well, I know firsthand that embracing facts over fear is done every day in healthcare, as is learning from our past decisions, good or bad. As a candidate for the health board, I see Platte County as a patient, and it is the job of the health board to monitor our county’s vitals and prescribe policies to keep our community healthy, regardless of what is politically expedient. It is antithetical to the role of health board members to compromise their standards to win the approval of partisan organizations.

While I am disheartened that the local Democratic Party finds my dedication to qualifications over politics undesirable, I will continue to share my message of data-driven policies and ensuring honesty and transparency within the health board. I will continue to be a candidate who seeks to serve all Platte County’s citizens. I will continue to show up and hear voters’ concerns without a partisan agenda.

As the only doctor in this local race, I will continue to do what I know best: serving others regardless of their background or political affiliation.

Dr. Michael Shafé

Dr. Michael Shafé is a candidate for the Platte County Health Board, a local physician, and founder of multiple greater Kansas City urgent care facilities.

The post Letter to the Editor: County health board elections should focus on qualifications, not politics as usual appeared first on The Missouri Times.

And even though the U.S. has a very long and complex history with the various countries and cultures that reside in the Middle East and the Arabian Peninsula, Missouri is looking to broaden its horizon in this frontier.

In November, Gov. Mike Parson embarked on a trade mission to the Middle East where he visited Israel and the United Arab Emirates to promote Missouri as an ideal place for foreign investment.

Missouri is also looking to expand the private sector in the near future as well. According to the Department of Economic Development, Missouri is going to have a booth for the Arab Health Convention in the United Arab Emirates this coming January. While there, health care providers from Missouri will have a chance to show off their technology and expand business connections.

While Missouri is expanding into new frontiers in countries like Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, the state could also look into strengthening the bond with a longtime ally: the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

This year has been full of American and Saudi diplomacy. President Joe Biden took a trip to Saudi Arabia this past summer, where he met with the Kingdom’s Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud. The Kingdom also participated in a very important prisoner trade deal between Russia and the U.S, both of whom are still embroiled in different sides of the conflict in the Ukraine.

Missouri has a smaller relationship with the Kingdom compared to the U.S. as a whole, but the relationship has room to grow. As of now, Missouri exports about $132 million worth of goods to Saudi Arabia. It might be surprising to many to learn that Missouri’s top exports to the Kingdom are mostly different types of electrical technology and mechanical parts. Missouri also imports about $24 million worth of goods according to data from the International Trade Administration.

Fahad Nazer, the official spokesperson for the Saudi Embassy in Washington, D.C., sat down with The Missouri Times to discuss the future of economic relationship between the Kingdom and the U.S. — and where exactly Missouri fits in.

“There are great opportunities in the Kingdom as we try to invest in a number of sectors,” said Nazer.

As of now, one of the Kingdom’s biggest expansions is in the field of energy production and stability. Although Saudi Arabia is known for its efficient crude oil production, Nazer talked in depth about the country’s move to start diversifying its energy sector and investing in other areas.

This is also a move Missouri has made as well with companies like Ameren — that continues to develop new solar stations around the state — and organizations like Missouri Agricultural and Small Business Development Authority investing in biofuel initiatives. There is definitely a demand for Missouri’s energy initiatives around the world, especially overseas.

There are also other sectors Missouri can invest in and be invested in. As mentioned before, Missouri has already taken a step forward when it comes to expanding its investments in health care in the Middle East. Health care has only grown more important as the world recovers from the COVID-19 pandemic. Missouri and Saudi Arabia’s need for health care and healthcare investment is no different.

But Nazer also emphasized that energy and health care are not the only sectors where business can thrive between the two nations and Missouri specifically.

“Health care, the financial sector, education, housing, tourism, entertainment, mining, food security, cyber security, you name it. I really can’t think of a single sector of the economy where there isn’t interest, there isn’t potential, there isn’t investment,” said Nazer.

Some of Missouri’s biggest industries domestically have the opportunity to become big industries internationally. As of now, some of Missouri’s biggest international exports include agricultural products and both mechanical and electrical engineering components. Some of those are already exported to the Kingdom on a large scale. There is definitely room to grow those areas as well. But Missouri excels in other industries as well, like finance, real estate and health care that could prove to be worthwhile investments abroad and at home.

Who Missouri trades with is also a big deal. While the U.S. continues to trade billions of dollars worth of goods and services to numerous countries, individual states do the same. But Missouri is narrow in its trading portfolio when it comes to partners. Canada is Missouri’s largest trading partner with $5.2 billion traded between the nations. Missouri’s business with Canada is almost double that of their second place partner, Mexico at $2.6 billion. China is in third place at $929 million, all according to the Office of the United States Trade Representative.

When asked about why Missouri should look to invest more or be invested in by some of its other trading partners, Nazer talked about the importance of the new world we live in and what kind of economy it brings with it as well.

“We live in an increasingly interconnected world. We are absolutely a part of an interconnected global economy,” he said.

While the Missouri economy is doing very well as of now, it may be worth the time of all Missourians to think about the future and look overseas for new and exciting opportunities in a variety of different sectors both abroad and at home.

Kelton Turner

Kelton is a 2023 graduate of the University of Missouri with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and a Bachelor of Arts in Religious Studies. He is a native of mid-Missouri and likes to write politics at both the state and federal levels. Kelton joined the Missouri Times in April 2022

www.themissouritimes.com

The post Could Missouri be the place for Saudi Arabia’s next big investment? appeared first on The Missouri Times.

For cannabis advocates in Missouri, the petition making it in front of Missouri voters is the culmination of a process over a decade in the making.

Gridlocked in the Senate

As is the case in many states, the process of getting cannabis legalization on the ballot started with medicinal marijuana. Starting with former Rep. Kate Meiners’ filing of House Bill 277 in 2009, state legislators repeatedly tried to file and push medicinal marijuana bills through the House and Senate.

Progress was made in 2014, when Senate Bill 951, filed by former Sen. Jason Holsman, made it to a hearing in the General Laws Committee. The bill passed through the committee but was never voted upon on the floor.

Despite the encouraging progress, cannabis advocates later realized that medicinal marijuana wasn’t going to advance in the Senate, being blocked by several Republican legislators.

In 2018, Holsman attempted to add an amendment setting rules for medicinal marijuana to a bill regarding opioid prescription and lowering the age required to get certain vaccines. He was met with stark opposition.

Sen. Bob Onder, R-St. Charles County, immediately opposed the amendment in ’18, the Springfield News-Leader reported. Onder raised concerns about children ending up in hospitals with marijuana poisoning and accused Holsman of trying to “hijack a pharmaceutical bill.” No marijuana overdoses have ever been reported, according to a 2020 report by the DEA.

Later that year, Missouri voters passed medicinal marijuana after it made it onto the ballot via another initiative petition, with over 60% of voters voting yes.

“A long, arduous process”

Medicinal marijuana passing in 2018 was a big win for cannabis advocates all over the Show Me State. However, the path to full-blown legalization was not as easy as some might think.

“Things were going smoothly up until the pandemic,” John Payne, campaign manager of cannabis group Legal Missouri 2022 and co-author of 2018’s medicinal marijuana amendment said. “This was a long, arduous process.”

In order to get legal marijuana on the ballot, Legal Missouri 2022 and its volunteers needed signatures, which became significantly harder to get when the entire country went on lock-down. COVID-19-related setbacks aside, Payne thinks the delay in getting signatures had some positive impacts.

“I think there was a silver lining to all this,” Payne said. “I think we have made an improved version of this amendment.”

Those improvements include multiple protections for medicinal marijuana use, including protecting employees from termination if they use medical marijuana off-the-clock, as well as protecting parents who use medicinal marijuana. The system for medical cards was also improved, as they would last three years instead of one, but still cost $25, if the amendment passes in November.

The passing of marijuana legalization, which will be on the ballot as Amendment Three, would also provide the expungement of non-violent marijuana-related criminal records.

Still, even with an improved amendment and a history of support for cannabis reform, Legal Missouri 2022 needed signatures.

In Missouri, those seeking to get an amendment on the ballot through an initiative petition need a number of signatures in at least six of Missouri’s eight congressional districts that must equal at least 8% of the total votes cast in each district in the most recent election for Governor.

Amendment Three missed the mark in Congressional Districts four and eight, and got through on razor-thin margins in Congressional Districts six and seven.

Going into the final days of gathering signatures, Payne knew he and his volunteers needed to focus on Congressional Districts six and seven.

Payne remembers fondly the mass mobilization of volunteers to Springfield, Mo. the biggest population center in Congressional District seven in the waning days of signature collection.

“I remember driving through and seeing petitioners everywhere,” Payne said. “We have a bunch of people really committed to this.”

Legal Missouri 2022 turned in its initiative petition on the very last day, May 8, with enough signatures to get on the ballot. Payne seems bullish about Amendment Three’s chances come November.

“Other, non-liberal states have passed this (cannabis legalization),” Payne said. “This is an issue that voters support.”

“They’re not afraid anymore”

Amendment Three made it onto the ballot on the backs of volunteers. The mobilization of a large number of volunteers to garner signatures for the cause ultimately ended in a successful effort.

“It’s what the people want!” Paula Prentice, a volunteer with Legal Missouri 2022 and a board member for NORML KC, a non-profit cannabis reform group, said. “People were happy, happy to sign, happy to get medical options.”

Prentice’s grandson has autism, and her husband suffers from a spinal condition. She believes that the option to consume marijuana to relieve pain is a choice every Missourian deserves to be able to make.

“I’m doing this for everybody,” Prentice said of her cannabis advocacy. “Medical (marijuana) has opened up so many people’s eyes to what cannabis can do for you.”

Prentice is most excited about the improvements to the medicinal marijuana program entailed in Amendment Three. Her experience out knocking doors has led her to believe that medical marijuana has helped remove the stigma around cannabis and those who consume it.

“They’re not afraid anymore,” Prentice said. “They’re not saying ‘Oh — it’s just somebody wanting to get stoned’ … the fog is lifting there.”

Prentice pointed to the volunteers and Payne as a real bright spot of the campaign. Volunteers focused on talking to prospective petition supporters at their level, an approach she thinks became a real strength of Legal Missouri 2022 and its efforts.

“We just have a wonderful team,” she said. “I would do it again, no question.”

As voters wait for the general election in November, Payne and his volunteer team feel good about Amendment Three’s chances, but aren’t planning to get complacent after the long journey to get to this point.

“Medical marijuana passed with 66% of the vote,” Payne said. “That doesn’t mean we don’t have work to do.”

“I’m sure we’ll be out there soon enough,” Prentice said.

To read the full text of Amendment Three on the Secretary of State’s website, click here.

Featured Image Courtesy of Legal Missouri 2022.

Matthew McFarland

I’m a journalist hailing from the Detroit area. I love to tell investigative stories with a focus on everyday people.

You can contact me by email at matthew@missouritimes.com

The post “It’s what the people want!” Marijuana advocates feel bullish on ballot chances appeared first on The Missouri Times.

It would be reasonable to expect that MTM would never be trusted to be allowed to bid on a contract that involved pickup the state’s most vulnerable citizens and taking them to their sometimes life saving doctor’s appointments, however they were allowed to respond to the state’s RFT earlier this year…….and they were again given the contract.

After Medical Transportation Management (MTM), had defaulted on the contract twice before stranding ailing Medicaid patients who were waiting for a ride to their doctors appointments the state has put these same Missourians in danger again. 

The NEMT services, which are specifically provided through MoHealthnet, are used to help transport people who cannot do so themselves, to hospitals for appointments that are needed, but not necessarily an emergency. This service could be used for appointments like dialysis or checkups and is a service that is much needed for Missourians that face certain challenges that could prohibit them from transporting themselves.

MTM, the company that was awarded to be the next provider for the NEMT services, was also awarded this contract back in 2005 and 2011. In 2005 MTM defaulted on the contract within 60 days, and left hundreds of thousands of Missourians in need of transportation to important medical appointments. In 2011 MTM serviced the contract for 11 months before again defaulting on the contract. Both times another provider who bid on this year’s RFP stepped in to bail the state out. This left the state in dire need (twice) to find someone to replace MTM since they had abandoned the contract, and provide services quickly and efficiently.

This is not only an issue in Missouri though, as MTM has defaulted or abandoned many contracts in other states.

In Rhode Island MTM left a blind, terminally ill man stranded overnight, stating “breakdowns in communication” was why he was stranded. Though the man had contacted multiple members of their team, all of which had assured him someone was coming to pick him up. Another problem MTM created in RI was a fatal accident resulting in the death of the passenger, in which the driver was charged with a DUI.

The list goes on and on, from a $1 million fine to being “beyond repair”, but the issues continued into Arkansas where the state saw it was necessary to cancel MTM’s four regional contracts.

In Arkansas, MTM had its contracts terminated after only 17 days, due to “too many missed appointments”, which then led to the state seeking $3.7 million in damages.

Missouri does have other options though, three other companies, Verida Incorporation, Veyo LLC, and ModivCare Solutions LLC. ModivCare has taken over the contract both times MTM has defaulted or abandoned it and has served the contract through with no issues. MTM did not return calls for comment. 

ModivCare was assumed to be rewarded with the contract again but was not chosen as the recipient, which came as a shock to the company and its supporters. ModivCare declined to comment because of the pending protest. 

The grading process which decides the recipient of the contract seemed to undergo unfair grading, which resulted in ModivCare not being selected. ModivCare and MTM scored nearly identical on the “Past Experience” evaluation, a section that ModivCare felt as if they far exceeded MTM in. MTM’s past experiences with Missouri were listed as a major concern for this NEMT bid in 2016 but were not considered or noted in the 2022 bid.

You can find the full protest submitted by ModivCare and see the full grading evaluation here.

Next week, The Missouri Times will be publishing a story on the details of how the RFP grading process has been changed in recent years allowing situations like to occur. 

Scott Faughn

Scott Faughn is the publisher of The Missouri Times, owner of the Clayton Times in Clayton; SEMO Times in Poplar Bluff; and host of the only statewide political television show, This Week in Missouri Politics.

The post Is the state about to leave seniors stranded…again? appeared first on The Missouri Times.

This budget session, however, you can take pride in the fact that your Missouri Legislature. Both Republicans and Democrats came together on something necessary and good and impactful.

They voted to help students breathe.

The current state budget draft has a line item, passed by the House and Senate, that would give public schools the medication, equipment, and education to rescue children when they have an asthma attack while in school. Some schools already have these items, which are purchased out of already stressed budgets or through the generosity of donors to nonprofit programs. Most do not. All that remains is for Gov. Mike Parson to keep this in the budget, and then sign it.

In 2012, Missouri became the first state in the union to allow albuterol to be stocked in schools. Another 15 states now do too. Parson can make a real difference and keep Missouri on the leading edge of student health with a relatively small amount of money.  Here are three reasons why I think he will:

1. It will work

The plan is modeled after the RESCUE program already run in some Missouri schools. In the 11 years of its operation, when a child has an asthma event, in a school that participates in RESCUE, they are able to go back to class nearly 90 percent of the time. Conversely, nurses tell us that without the resources kids stay in school just 25 percent of the time.

2. It actually costs nothing

Asthma is a leading cause of school absences in Missouri every year. Over 155,000 children living in Missouri are living with asthma. When a child is supported by Medicaid, then much of the cost of an ambulance ride and an emergency room visit becomes the responsibility of the state and its taxpayers. If these hospital visits are reduced by even 25 percent, then it could be a wash. If they are reduced by a predicted 70 percent, then the state will actually save money well above the budget expense.

3. It keeps kids where they belong

The school shutdown that COVID caused reminds us that kids really need to be in school. Kids and communities benefit from the educational and social stimulation that only a school can provide. Attending school allows all kids to seek their full potential in academics, arts, sports, and more. Also, when children remain in class after an asthma event it means that their caregivers will not have to come pick them up for treatment. With this program in place, more kids will be in the classroom and more Moms and Dads can keep working.

I have not yet mentioned that this will help our hard-working school nurses save lives, but that does not make it any less true. Every day an average of 11 Americans die from an asthma attack. Most of these deaths are avoidable with proper knowledge and resources.

Missouri already allows albuterol to be stocked. Now we can continue the momentum and keep kids healthy and in school with this initiative. Gov. Parson has the power to do so by approving HB 3002 Sec 2.333, a tiny fraction of the budget, all while saving taxpayer dollars in the process.

Chris Martinez

Chris Martinez is a husband and father of three and the executive director of the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America – Missouri. He holds a master's in international business from Saint Louis University and a Nonprofit Leadership Certification from Georgetown University.

The post Opinion: When the case is strong enough, both sides of the aisle get to help kids — so can our governor appeared first on The Missouri Times.

Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt released the following statement: “Today, the Court announced its intention to grant a temporary restraining order in Missouri, Louisiana, and Arizona’s lawsuit against the Biden Administration over their planned suspension of Title 42. This temporary restraining order is expected to keep Title 42 in place until further court proceedings, a critical win for border security and the rule of law. My Office will continue to fight to secure the border and protect Missourians.”

The post Schmitt statement on Title 42 temporary restraining order appeared first on The Missouri Times.