Missourians cry out for capping health care costs

Missourians are concerned about affordability of health care and want the government to enact consumer protections, according to a recent survey.

According to Altarum's, Healthcare Experience State Survey, 62% of respondents have endured a hardship in the last year.

Respondents of color reported higher rates of going without care and rationing medication due to cost (34%) when compared to white respondents (30%). An alarming 82% worry about affording some aspect of health care now or in the future.

"The results of the survey reinforce what we already know. In 2020, Missourians made their voice heard when they overwhelmingly voted to expand Medicaid because residents want affordable, quality health care for themselves and neighbors," said Sheldon Weisgrau, Missouri Foundation for Health vice president of health policy.

The processing time for a Medicaid application, which averaged 100 days at the beginning of August, is now "about 90 days, 85 days," Kim Evans, director of the state's Family Support Division, said in a Missouri Independent article.

A mitigation plan approved last month by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) requires Missouri to get that wait time down to 45 days by Sept. 30.

"We are on target right now to do that," Evans said.

Before Medicaid eligibility was expanded to include low-income adults last year, the average processing time was eight days. While wait times remain high, the backlog of pending applications has dropped to 23,804 as of Friday morning, down from 35,393 at the end of July.

The federal government formally requested the state produce a mitigation plan in May, after identifying "multiple issues related to Missouri's timely processing of applications," according to a letter obtained by The Independent.

Though all demographics are impacted by financial burdens, some groups bear the brunt more than others. Reported problems are more pronounced among people of color, women, people with disabilities, those with lower incomes, and certain age groups.

According to the survey, people of color reported slightly higher rates of affordability burdens than white respondents. In addition, respondents with households earning less than $50,000 annually and people with disabilities reported higher rates of going without care and incurring debt due to health care costs.

Of respondents, 71% believe the health care system needs to change. Addressing health care problems is a top priority Missourians want government officials to work on.

"This is not a partisan issue," Weisgrau said. "Missourians want policymakers working together on solutions that will make a real difference in their lives and ensure people get the care they need at a price they can afford."

Respondents cited drug companies, hospitals, and insurance companies as the main drivers for out-of-control costs and identified a number of ways the government could tackle these issues.

Several of the strategies received broad bipartisan support including making it easier to switch insurers if a health plan drops your doctor (94%); authorizing the attorney general to take legal action to prevent price gouging or unfair prescription drug price hikes (92%); requiring insurers to provide up-front cost estimates (92%); and expanding health insurance options so that everyone can afford quality coverage (90%).

The survey "elicited respondents' unbiased views on a wide range of health system issues, including confidence using the health system, financial burden and views on fixes that might be needed," according to its authors.

Over 1,100 Missouri adults were polled from April 1 to April 18, 2022.