November 2024 Benefits Report Issued
Let’s remember that the Republican juggernaut ruling Missouri ignores voters’ and answers only to a small cadre of connected (rich) supporters.
Hence, votes against puppy mills and concealed carry simply got ignored while the reforms of Clean Missouri got killed by the legislature’s dirty alternative at the next election.
So, we can’t act surprised that the list of proposed 2025 legislation already includes a basket of laws to void Amendment 3 and undo the new minimum wage and sick leave proposals passed by voters last month. That’s what Missouri Republicans do, impose their will despite the wishes of the people who elect them.
Which brings me to Missouri Medicaid and the numbers from the Department of Social Services November 2024 Monthly Management Report for the Family Support Division and the MO HealthNet Division. [ dss.mo/re ] While the wily bureaucrats can’t stop the upward creep of Temporary Assistance families, and the total citizens on food stamps grew in the past year, the relentless attacks on Medicaid are an unqualified success.
As I’ve noted before, it is incredibly hard for a disabled citizen to get Medicaid. The process is hard and extremely subjective. Ands, to qualify you must be dirt poor. So let’s look at the number of disabled Missourians on Medicaid in November…
11/22: 174,581 11/23: 156,728 11/24: 123,830
Yes, this November Missouri had 50,751 fewer disabled folk getting health coverage from Medicaid than two years ago, despite Medicaid Expansion being enacted by voters.
Next, Kids…
11/22: 720,984 11/23: 696,286 11/24: 600,990
That’s a hair under 120,000 fewer children no longer covered.
Amazingly, what passes as the media in this state keeps ignoring what our state government is doing. For example, I can’t find evidence that any outlet noted that the legislature’s passed and signed final FY2025 budget requires a drop in the number of Missouri citizens receiving MO HealthNet! They can’t be bothered to actually cover state government.
By the way, don’t expect the new Kehoe administration to change the game plan. Incoming Director of Social Services Jessica Bax ably served His Accidency’s administration as head of the Department of Mental Health’s Division of Developmental Disabilities.
Uh-oh:
Republican lawmakers rejected an effort Thursday evening to spend $900 million to assist hundreds of Missourians with developmental disabilities who lack proper residential support, including dozens languishing in hospitals, jails and homeless shelters.
Missouri Independent 3/22/23
Yes, Bax presided over reductions in services to some of the state’s most needy people, adults unable to function without serious help. She’ll fit right in supervising Medicaid and all the other DSS components.
Missouri November Benefits
2024 2019
Temporary Assistance
Children 10,386 16,746
Parents 3,434 4,997
Total 13,820 21,743
Payments $1,310,939 $2,108,626
Per Family $ 236.08 $ 228.21
Per Day $ 7.87 $ 7.61
Food Stamps
Participants 670,282 673,160
Payments $133,359,388 $ 82,191,657
Per Person $ 198.96 $ 122.10
Per Day $ 2.21 $ 1.36
MO HealthNet
Enrolled 1,271,610 851,985
Covered 1,326,654 876,148
Payments $1,481,411,749 $ 737,092,001
Per Person $ 1,116.65 $ 841.29
Managed Care 1,043,641 598,254
Premium Each $ 391.59 $ 267.85
Food Stamps By County
St. Louis County 101,087
Jackson Co. 96,198
St. Louis City 57,983
Greene Co. 32,872
Jasper Co. 17,524
305,664
(46% OF STATE TOTAL)
The number of Missourians on Temporary Assistance has grew by 11.2% from 11/23 to the 11/24 report.
The number of Missourians on Food Stamps increased by 3% from 11/23 to 11/24.
Glenn Koenen