With the primary election behind them, candidates for Missouri governor Kenny Hulshof and Jay Nixon must focus now on giving voters specifics on critical issues.
Chief among those is affordable health care. That issue also dominates many races for the General Assembly, a sign of intense voter interest.
The new governor will be expected to push immediately for a solution to hundreds of thousands of Missourians being without health-care coverage.
Nixon, the Democratic nominee who has served as attorney general since 1993, laid out a bold plan in the primary campaign. He wants to rescind the legislature’s Medicaid cuts that left 90,000 Missourians without coverage in 2005. He also wants to expand eligibility for children.
He says his plan to use mostly federal funds is realistic.
Hulshof, who has represented Missouri’s 9th District in the U.S. House since 1997, has not clearly defined his position on health care.
He largely has defended the Republican-led cuts in 2005, saying it is important to make health care affordable not only for consumers but also for taxpayers.
He promises to give voters a plan in the post-primary campaign. He should unveil his specific ideas soon.
Nixon’s plan to restore Medicaid coverage to those who were cut would cost the state an estimated $265 million. He needs to better explain to voters how he would cover those costs.
Nixon’s right, though, in saying considerable savings could be achieved in indigent care if more people had insurance. However, he needs to show how those savings could help lower the state price tag because financial shortfalls loom.
More specifics are important because financial problems loom.
The Missouri Budget Project, a progressive organization that analyzes the state budget and taxes, estimates that the state will be in the red by 2010 at the current rate of spending. The shortfall is partially a result of tax cuts that lawmakers enacted in the last two legislative sessions.
In the last four years, Republican lawmakers in the legislative majority and Gov. Matt Blunt gave priority to health-care cuts, limits on lawsuits and tax relief for the wealthy and businesses.
In November, Missouri voters are assured of a new governor because Blunt didn’t seek re-election. (Also in the race is Andrew W. Finkenstadt of Cottleville, a Libertarian.)Voters deserve clearly defined positions on campaign issues and priorities from those who seek the state’s highest office.
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Not From MO, but
I am familiar with the Star's prejudiced editorial track record and this one is loaded with a train full of one issue, one dimensional propaganda.....how else can you justify the second to last paragraph.
I observed a Matt Blunt administration that inherited a government that was drowning in red ink abd no longer is. The star presents that as a government whose priority was "denying" health care, cracking down on the rights of the individual, and padding the pockets of the wealthy. HOW COMPLETELY DISINGENUOUS CAN YOU BE?
This after twice in 2 sentences reminding us that financial difficulties are looming....what a joke.....why don't you spare us future newsprint and just endorse Mr Nixon now.
Here we go, yet, again
When Blunt took over our medicaid payments were SECOND in the nation, even more than California and New York....Fraud and overpayment was rampant.
Now the looney tunes are coming out of the woodwork again. No people in this country are without health "care", many are without health "insurance". Some because they are illegal aliesn, some because they opt for cable TV instead of health insurance, and some who are young and believe they are bullet proof.
"Some" may truly have a need for health insurance. So before the poor taxpayer (just because Jay Bird says the funds for this will come from the "Federal" government, so what do not all Missourians pay federal income taxes?)fork over more money, let's do some damn homework first.
Hell I raised my kids, it is about time we recognize a little personal responsibility out here, and stop wringing our hands about someone else's kids. I, for one, am sick of it.