By Bill Raack, KWMU
St. Louis, MO – Republican Matt Blunt says if he is elected Missouri Governor, he will emphasize improvements for the state's senior citizens.
The 33-year-old Secretary of State discussed his plans at two St. Louis area retirement centers Monday, just hours before Democrats Bob Holden and Claire McCaskill were to debate in Kansas City.
Blunt says the state should increase the rates at which it reimburses nursing homes for providing care to Medicaid patients.
"There's a lot of things we can do short-term to help health care providers but one thing we need to do long-term is look at reducing the gap, reducing the gap that exists between the actual cost of a medical procedure or for long-term care and the reimbursed cost for that procedure," Blunt said.
The Republican is also proposing the development of a task force that would study senior housing issues, and worker incentives to reduce turnover at elder care facilities.
His campaign has been quiet, compared to Holden's and McCaskill's. He doesn't seem to mind, either. "We're able to talk about issues instead of slinging mud at other candidates like some of the other candidates are doing now and I think that really is a benefit for us," Blunt said. "We're able to talk about issues but also listen to Missourians about the challenges that we face."
According to the latest campaign finance report, Blunt has raised more than $4 million dollars. He also has more campaign cash on hand than any other candidate for Governor.