Dempsey to sponsor "Show Me Health Care"

Intro: Despite the dwindling economy, one Missouri Senator is sponsoring a bill to extend government funded health care.

Abigail Grimmett (GRIMM-it) has more from the State Capitol.

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OutCue: SOC St. Charles Republican Senator Tom Dempsey is proposing "Show Me Health Care," a bill that would give coverage to uninsured Missourians who were cut off during Matt Blunt's term as governor. Dempsey says new health care programs are especially important in times of economic crisis.

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Description: Certainly there's going to be greater need for this. But people who are losing their jobs, finding ways for them to keep their health insurance and have people be able to take their health insurance with them.

Republican Representative Rob Schaaf says it will be difficult to create new programs since Missouri's budget is tight this year.

However, Dempsey says he will look to the Missouri Foundation for Health for money to fund these programs.

From the State Capitol, I'm Abigail Grimmett.

Intro: A Missouri Senator says he is willing to work with Governor Elect Jay Nixon to educate Missourians about health care.

Abigail Grimmett (GRIMM-it) has more from the State Capitol.

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OutCue: SOC St. Charles Republican Senator Tom Dempsey says he is planning to submit "Show Me Health Care" for the 2009 legislative session. Dempsey says the bill would extend coverage to uninsured Missourians, but added that uninsured children are "presumed covered."

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Description: It's really education and communication and making sure that families know, parents know that there's insurance for their child and they just need to utilize it.

Dempsey said he sees this as an area where he will work with Governor Elect Nixon.

Republican Representative Rob Schaaf says the bill could cost taxpayers twice as much in order to fund the program.

From the State Capitol, I'm Abigail Grimmett.

Intro: One Missouri Senator is proposing a health care bill, similar to the one he had shot down in the House last year.

Abigail Grimmett has more from the State Capitol.

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OutCue: SOC St. Charles Republican Senator Tom Dempsey sponsored "Insure Missouri" in the 2008 session, which would extend coverage to uninsured Missourians. The bill had overwhelming support in the Senate, but was defeated by House Health Care Committee members and never made it to the floor. Republican Representative Rob Schaaf said he opposed the bill because it would have cost taxpayers more money.

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Description: It turns out that not bringing it to the floor saved the state a whole bunch of money that lessened the severity of the crisis that we're in now. So, it was a very good thing that it didn't come forward.

Dempsey said he is looking to the Missouri Foundation for Health to help fund the programs. Dempsey will file his "Show Me Health Care" bill early in the 2009 legislative session. Reporting from Jefferson City, I'm Abigail Grimmett.

Intro: Despite the declining economy, one Missouri Senator is trying to reintroduce a senate bill to extend government funded health care.

Abigail Grimmett (GRIMM-it) has more from the State Capitol.

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OutCue: SOC St. Charles Republican Senator Tom Dempsey says his newly proposed bill, Show Me Health Care will again have support in the Senate.

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Description: We're going to continue to look at ways where we can most cost effectively deliver care thats gonna improve health, provide insurance for people who don't have companies provide insurance and don't make enough to pay for insurance costs.

Dempsey proposed a similar bill last year called Insure Missouri. The measure cleared in the Senate, but died in the House where it was stalled by the House Health Care Committee. Republican Representative Rob Schaaf is again raising concerns against this bill, mostly due to the economic crisis.

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Description: I think that we have an extremely tight budget year; it's not gonna to be fun. We're going to have to make some real hard choices about where we want to spend our money, and creating new programs probably isn't very likely.

Schaaf said if this bill passes, taxpayers may end up paying twice as much for state funded health care.

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Description: We need to watch out for taxpayers and insurance buyers from getting cheated. The Insure Missouri bill was a horrible way that hospitals took a 100 million dollar win fall for doing the same thing that they're doing now.

According to Schaaf, Missouri hospitals made three-quarters of a billion dollars in 2006, and he says they do not need more tax dollars. However, Dempsey has an alternative way to help fund the bill.

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Description: One of the ideas that I have is to see if we can talk to the Missouri Foundation for Health and get them to participate at least at the outset and help bridge some of the funding that's needed.

Dempsey said the foundation gives more than fifty million dollars a year to health care programs. Dempsey will file his Show Me Health Care bill early in the 2009 legislative session. From the State Capitol, I'm Abigail Grimmett.