July 2020 Monthly Management Report
More but not enough…
The Department of Social Services posted the Family Support Division & MO HealthNet Division Monthly Management Report for July 2020 on the DSS website. [ https://dss.mo.gov/re/pdf/fsd_mhdmr/0720-family-support-mohealthnet-report.pdf ]
The report finds that the number of struggling citizens helped by Temporary Assistance dropped by 2% from June while the number receiving food stamps increased by just over half a percent, and, Medicaid [MO HealthNet] added about 2% to its rolls.
In other words, the state of Missouri’s basic benefit programs continue to not expand as they should in the face of the overwhelming economic hardship created by the pandemic.
That Temporary Assistance drop is particularly concerning: the now stated purpose of TA is to help parents return/enter the work force. Obviously a lot of parents have lost work – and many don’t qualify for unemployment due to the nature of their job or low earnings. In such a situation money from that federal block grant ought to be utilized to help these vulnerable neighbors. Instead, Missouri continues to use the block grant to cover departmental overhead and subsidize anti-abortion “clinics.”
Remember, the other day I shared information from a recent meeting where DSS staff admitted that many office locations closed due to COVID and that the department still endures a hiring freeze – meaning less staff available to respond to a surge in demand compared to prior recessions.
A friend familiar with the state system noted that ‘they’re doing the best that they can.’ Just like the Cardinal rookie pitcher who gave up four home runs in a row in his first outing.
Missouri July Benefits
2020 2019_______
Temporary Assistance
Children 17,579 16,573
Adults 6,004 4,902
Total 23,583 21,475
Benefits $2,335,599 $2,082,615
Per Family $238.33 $224.15
Per Day $ 7.69 $ 7.23
MO HealthNet
Enrolled 957,820 850,254
Covered 945,883 904,200
Payments $898,120,916 $811,981,001
Per Patient $ 949.51 $ 898.01
Managed Care 658,639 629,120
Per Patient $ 281.17 $ 246.99
Food Stamps [SNAP]
Participants 777,885 678,768
Benefits $134,869,763 $81,438,366
Per Person $ 173.38 $ 119.98
Per Meal $ 1.86 $ 1.29
St. Louis Co. 117,224 97,083
Jackson Co. 108,702 92,024
St. Louis City 76,748 68,045
Greene Co. 38,078 33,105
Jefferson Co. 21,108 18,072
St. Charles Co. 17,878 14,963
Boone Co. 17,200 15,070
A quick note about Medicaid…
As is seen in the July 2019 numbers, traditionally the number Covered is higher than the number Enrolled. That’s because – as we all know – medical bills drift in months after the service has been received. Again in July, the reverse is true in Missouri’s Medicaid program. That is not just unusual, to me it points to a series of potential problems – including medical providers not getting paid for services rendered.
https://dss.mo.gov/re/pdf/fsd_mhdmr/1907-family-support-mohealthnet-report.pdf
Glenn