By AP/KWMU
Jefferson City, MO – Missouri lawmakers have until Friday to vote on a new budget for the state.
On Monday, negotiators from the House and Senate settled on a final plan. It would still make many of the cuts to the Medicaid program that Governor Matt Blunt had sought - but not all of them.
For example, eye exams for Medicaid patients will still be covered. But not glasses. Motorized wheelchairs will be covered, but not the batteries to run them.
A single mother of two can currently make up to $12,000 a year and still qualify for the Medicaid health care program. The plan up for a vote would lower that eligibility to $3,500.
A disabled person currently can qualify for Medicaid while earning about $9,500 a year. The budget would lower that to about $8,100.
More than 90,000 low-income parents, older Missourians and disabled people would lose Medicaid coverage altogether.