Springfield lawmaker pitches plan to let workers with disabilities avoid health care loss

JEFFERSON CITY — A Springfield legislator is proposing looser guidelines for a Missouri program allowing people with disabilities to access health care under Medicaid.

Republican Rep. Melanie Stinnett's House Bill 970 would expand the rules of the Ticket to Work Health Assurance Program, which grants employed people with disabilities from ages 16-64 access to Medicaid.

The bill would give people with disabilities covered under the program the ability to earn more income before being phased out, as well as exempting the first $50,000 of a spouse's income from their total income under the program. Under current law, those who make above the federal poverty level — around $14,000 for a single-person household — must pay a premium to participate in the program; the current income limit for a spouse is also significantly lower.

"Individuals with disabilities who are working in our communities may wish to take more hours, or take a new position that gives them a raise, or any number of opportunities," Stinnett said. "Right now they're limited from doing that without the loss of some really important health care that they need."

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Various versions of the legislation have been proposed in previous years, often finding support on both sides of the aisle, but have failed to gain significant momentum. Stinnett, who is serving her first year in the legislature, is the founder of a speech therapy clinic and has focused on advocacy for people with disabilities.

The legislation provides a potential fix for workforce shortages around Missouri, Stinnett argued, as well as better incentivizing marriage for people with disabilities who currently must balance that decision with their income.

"I think that's a strong concern, and something that I think both sides would be behind supporting," she said. "Making sure individuals can make the choice to be married without losing something that allows them to be able to work."

In a House committee hearing Tuesday, disability advocates and organizations expressed strong support for the bill; it did not draw any opposition.

"This is not a choice that my non-disabled peers and coworkers have to think about," said Rachel Baskerville, speaking on behalf of the Missouri Developmental Disabilities Council. "I basically have to earn my way to some basic freedoms like getting married and saving for retirement."

Bill would require state agencies to use "employment first" policy

Another bill sponsored by Stinnett, House Bill 971, would require government agencies to coordinate with each other and educate people with disabilities on competitive employment opportunities. It also requires them to implement "employment first" policy, in which the integrated and competitive work environments are the first option for people with disabilities.

Marquita Warner, who works at UCP Heartland, a disability services and support organization in Jefferson City, said she had "greatly benefited" from the "employment first" policy.

"We should not be confined to a workshop that doesn't even pay minimum wage, just because we have vision problems or wheelchairs or canes," Warner said.

The legislation would also require the state's Office of Administration, which oversees staffing and contracting in state government, to submit an annual report documenting employment data for people with disabilities.

It earned support from both sides of the aisle. Rep. Lisa Thomas, a Lake Ozark Republican, called it "long overdue." And Rep. Sarah Unsicker, a Shrewsbury Democrat, said it was vital for people with disabilities to be "able to work to their fullest extent."

Galen Bacharier covers Missouri politics & government for the News-Leader. Contact him at gbacharier@news-leader.com or on Twitter @galenbacharier.

This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: Springfield lawmaker's bill pitches accessible disability health care