Gov. Ronnie Musgrove came to Greenwood Monday to urge health-care workers to speak up for his plan to improve Mississippians' access to health care.
Musgrove spoke at a meeting of health employees at the Leflore County Civic Center.
No one disputes the importance of bringing in jobs and improving schools, but many don't think about health care, he said.
"When you're young, you're healthy, you don't think about those things," he said.
However, he added, the state needs help. It leads the nation in diabetes prevalence, heart disease death rate, lack of breast cancer screenings in women over 50 and population underserved by primary care physicians.
"Unfortunately, we're first in some categories we want to be last in," the governor said.
So he has proposed a new strategy for the money the state will receive from tobacco company settlements.
So far, all the tobacco money has gone into a trust fund, which now contains about $650 million, Musgrove said. The next round of that money, due in January, should total about $210 million.
He proposes using $100 million of that directly for health care and applying for waivers that would give a three-to-one federal match.
In the fiscal year 2003, if the $100 million is invested as Musgrove proposes and all waiver proposals are approved, the state will get $400 million for health care, he said. If the present arrangement is maintained, about $66 million of the tobacco money will go to health care, he said.
The state would apply for waivers targeting specific problems, such as diabetes, and show how it would address them. More money would be earned, all going to health care, and the trust fund would stay in place, he said.
Musgrove urged his listeners to contact their legislators about this proposal. If approved, it would take effect immediately and the state could take advantage of the money, he said.
Tennessee withdrew all of its tobacco trust fund money to pay for a year's general-fund expenses, Musgrove said. Calling that approach "short-sighted," he said it won't be required in Mississippi.
Economic experts have estimated that Musgrove's plan would create $312 million in new personal income and 10,400 new jobs, leading to $18.4 million more in state revenue, he said.
Other states have used their tobacco settlement money for economic development, health care, environmental protection and other things. Almost all of them have taken advantage of the federal matching funds, too, Musgrove said.
The state can pursue an unlimited number of waivers. U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Tommy Thompson has been open to the waiver proposals, approving 896 of them in his first six months, Musgrove said.
Musgrove suggested pursuing demonstration grants to fight diabetes, heart disease, and breast and cervical cancer. The money also could be spent on better preventive measures - for example, early detection of diabetes that would eliminate the need for expensive dialysis or transplants.
He also suggested improvements for the state employees' health plan, such as eliminating the deductible for doctor visits and adding a co-payment arrangement.
Jobs are being added through Milwaukee Electric Tool and other employers. However, the state budget remains tight and many people still are losing their jobs, and so it makes sense to make better use of this money, he said.
"The economy is slow and people need help," he said. "If we can help them, that's what we want to do."
Musgrove said proposals such as this often are held up by political gamesmanship. A legislator might vote against a plan just because someone else might get credit for it, he said. However, they should have the interest of all Mississippians as their first priority, he said.
State Sen. David Jordan, D-Greenwood, said he supported the proposal and hoped it would get to the floor for debate. Sen. Bunky Huggins, R-Greenwood, is chairman of the Public Health and Welfare Committee in the Senate.
Dr. Alfio Rausa of Greenwood, district health officer, said Musgrove's proposal would be crucial.
"This is important to us as workers; this is important to us as citizens," he said.
