By KWMU, AP
St. Louis, MO. – A state senator from St. Louis says the governor's plans to cut Medicaid may not save Missouri money in the long run.
In Wednesday's speech Governor Blunt proposed cutting thousands of people from Medicaid.
The Missouri Senate's top Democrat, Maida Coleman, says people who don't have money or access to doctors end up waiting for medical problems to become emergencies.
"They are automatically going to wait until they can't stand on their feet another moment, end up in the emergency room and certainly those costs are going to be consumed by someone else," Coleman said. "So we're not doing the state any favor by cutting people off of Medicaid."
Coleman also takes exception to the governor's call for an annual review of Medicaid recipients.
She says reviews are already done, but the state has not had enough employees to do a thorough job.
The governor says the cuts will save the state $626 million.