Amid a series of emails with friends fighting hunger about the nation I got asked a question: “What’s wrong with Missouri?’
My friend dutifully follows news about Covid – and how Missouri seems immune to common sense. She read about the state legislature in court to overturn the voter’s will on Medicaid Expansion. And, she knows Missouri’s chronic underperformance on food stamps and WIC remains institutionalized.
In that light, let’s look at the Department of Social Services very recently issued Monthly Management Report for June 2021 for the Family Support Division and MO HealthNet Division.
- While most of the rest of the nation has a growing number of citizens on food stamps, Missouri has seen a 10% decrease in the past year.
- Even without expansion, better than one Missourian in six continues to get their medical care through MO HealthNet (Medicaid).
- The number of Missourians on Temporary Assistance this June was one-fifth the total from June 2015.
In other words, the numbers suggest that Missouri enjoys the fruits of an economic miracle where almost everyone rose into the middle class, where want has almost been eliminated and government benefit programs – as well as charities – ought to close their doors.
Okay, so we’re not there yet…
Missouri June Benefits
2021 2016 2015
TEMPORARY ASSISTANCE
Children 11,488 25,794 47,909
Adults 3,085 9,070 22,526
TOTAL 14,573 34,864 70,435
Benefits $1,414,619 $3,320,150 $6,221,293
Per Family $219.15 $222.96 $225.99
Per Day $ 7.31 $ 7.43 $ 7.53
MO HEALTHNET (Medicaid)
Enrolled 1,089,379 982,776 944,257
Covered 1,091,069 1,060,086 955,132
Cost $712,550,461 $682,978,817 $653,921,969
Per Patient $ 653.08 $ 644.27 $ 684.64
Managed Care 826,005 614,502 459,380
Premium $ 266.44 $ 185.73 $ 208.48
SNAP (Food Stamps)
Participants 695,200 782,374 844,851
Benefits $158,346,795 $94,162,303 $104,405,318
Per Person $ 227.77 $ 120.35 $ 123.58
Per Meal $ 2.53 $ 1.34 $ 1.37
The 2015 and 2016 data can be found at dss.mo.gov/re
Now, the legislature did all sorts of nasty things to Temporary Assistance – including a 60 month lifetime eligibility cap which took effect before June 2016. Note how that attack did nothing to take the pressure off Medicaid, despite Missouri’s horrible eligibility criteria. Be aware that the lower benefit levels for 2016 are part of another Missouri tradition, being stingy compared to other states following the same federal rules.
Oh yes, for all the nay sayers proclaiming that Missouri “can’t afford” the Medicaid program we have, much less the expanded version. I bet they’d be surprised that the average per patient cost in June 2021 is lower than what the state paid in June 2015.
More soon from the State Of Misery.
Glenn