Missouri Gov. Blunt Launches Statewide Campaign for Children’s Health Care Program

Missouri Gov. Matt Blunt (R) has launched several statewide initiatives to promote the state's MO HealthNet program, which was overhauled last year, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports. About 120,000 additional uninsured children in the state could be eligible for benefits under the program.

Blunt has launched a public service announcement touting the program and has sent mailers to about 106,000 families who lost coverage to alert them that they might be eligible for the program. In addition, the state Department of Social Services trained personnel at 21 not-for-profit community health centers to process applications more efficiently. Blunt also launched a pilot project at four pediatric hospitals that provides children with instant 30-day coverage while they wait for their applications to be approved. The project could be expanded statewide in 2009.

Since Blunt took office in 2005, 71,463, or about 13%, fewer children are covered by the state, according to the Post-Dispatch (Young, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, 1/8).