State Sen. Rob Schaaf thinks Missouri government can save money by changing the way it runs its employees' health care plan.
No one supported or opposed Schaaf's idea Thursday morning, when he presented it to the Senate's Veteran's Affairs and Health Committee.
"I'm sure that running this idea up the flagpole probably will generate a bit of opposition," Schaaf, R-St. Joseph, told the committee. "I think it's a good conversation to have."
The Missouri Consolidated Health Care Plan was created by state law as a stand-alone agency directed by a 13-member board of trustees.
The law says that board must include the commissioner of Administration and the directors of the state Health and Senior Services, and Insurance, Financial Institutions and Professional Registration departments; two senators and two representatives (from each party in each house); and six people appointed by the governor and confirmed by the Senate - with three of those people "who are not members of the plan, but who are familiar with medical issues."
Schaaf, who is a doctor and served on the board when he was in the House, said Thursday: "You can be there advocating for some alternative pathway and, ultimately - I have to tell you - if the governor wants something, he's going to get it.
"And, so, why not just have it be under OA? Because that's the way it's going to be anyway."
Sen. David Sater, R-Cassville - a current MCHCP trustee - agreed, telling colleagues: "I will say that it's pretty heavily dominated by people who are strongly connected with the governor's office."
The board hires an executive director.
On mchcp.org website, the plan says the current director, Judith Muck, oversees more than 70 staff members and leads MCHCP in providing health insurance benefits to most state employees, retirees and dependents as well as public entities in Missouri that have joined the plan.
That's "nearly 100,000 state and public entity members" who are covered by the plan, the website noted.
The plan said its "vision" is to "be recognized and valued by our members as their advocate in providing affordable, accessible, quality health care options" - and its "mission" is providing "access to quality and affordable health insurance to state and local government employees," including:
• Consolidating purchasing power and administration to achieve benefits not available to individual employer members.
• Ensuring fiscal responsibility, and understanding and meeting the needs of individual members.
• Developing innovative delivery options and incentives.
• Identifying and contracting with high-value plans.
• Maintaining a high-quality and knowledgeable work force.
"Instead of just having the bureaucracy of the MCHCP doing all the hiring and the setting of the salaries, and the expense of making these decisions - which may, or may not, be as well-controlled as what the Office of Administration is doing - why not just let (OA) do it?" Schaaf asked the committee Thursday.
While Schaaf said the proposal, ultimately, could save state government money, the fiscal note prepared with the measure showed no costs or savings.
The committee took no action on the bill Thursday morning.