February 6, 2008
Contact: Tony Wyche
314.361.4774

MFH Releases 2008 Edition of "Missouri Medicaid Basics"

Missouri Foundation for Health publication explains Medicaid's key programs, eligibility and delivery systems, and provides important fiscal and enrollment data

Updates include new section on changes made to the Medicaid program in 2007 and county-level maps that show changes in Medicaid enrollment over the past 3 years

St. Louis - - The Missouri Foundation for Health (MFH) today released the 2008 edition of "Missouri Medicaid Basics," which explains key programs and systems and provides important fiscal and enrollment data for the state's Medicaid system.

New to this year's edition is a section explaining changes made to Missouri's Medicaid system in the past year as well as a section detailing key elements of the "Insure Missouri" program Governor Matt Blunt announced in September 2007. Also new this year is a series of maps that show the county-by-county changes in Medicaid coverage over each of the past three years.

"The Medicaid program is a crucial component of Missouri's health care delivery system, covering one out of every seven people in our state and over a third of Missouri's children," said Dr. James Kimmey, MFH President and CEO. "With so many changes to the Medicaid program being discussed and debated by the members of the state General Assembly, it is important that our policymakers, our media and our citizens understand the key components of Medicaid and how it works. We are hopeful that this publication will serve as a valuable resource for people to educate themselves about the challenges we face moving forward."

This is the fourth consecutive year MFH has published an overview of the state's Medicaid system. "Missouri Medicaid Basics" is available online at http://www.mffh.org/medicaidbasics08.pdf.

Established in 2000, MFH is the largest non-governmental funder of community health activities in Missouri. MFH is in its sixth year of grantmaking, having issued more than $270 million in grants and awards to date. It is dedicated to serving the uninsured, underinsured and underserved in 84 Missouri counties and the City of St. Louis. For more information about MFH, visit www.mffh.org.

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