| Update: Congratulations to everyone who helped save the First Steps Program. I am going to keep this website up, although it will no longer be active, as a reminder of what we accomplished. |
To access the forum, please click here
To download this page as a flyer, click here
Legislator contact information
What is Missouri's First Steps?
The Missouri First Steps Program offers early intervention to children between the ages of birth and three-years-old. This time period is a critical window of opportunity for therapy services as research has shown over and over again. that early intervention is the most effective, and least expensive. For more information on the program, please click here.
So how did things go at the Senate Hearings on Tuesday?
In my opinion, not well. Not well at all. So many providers and parents made the long trip to Jefferson City for the hearing. The hearing room was filled beyond seating capacity. Unfortunately, the same can't be said of the Senators. The hearing started off with only one Senator. At most there were only three or four senators in attendance - one even fell asleep. I think that gives you an idea of their commitment to and interest in the First Steps program.
The Good News:
I've been talking with some of the leading service providers and everyone is ready to unite the families they serve to demonstrate that we are not going to give up on this issue. The biggest and best effort to make an impact is yet to come. Watch for updates to this site coming mid-week next week (3/21-22/05).
4 steps you can take now to help save Missouri's First Steps Program:
1. Call government leaders and let them know Senate Bill 500 isn’t the right answer. Tell them "A vote for the current Senate BIll 500 is a vote against First Steps because SB 500 will ultimately cost taxpayers more while delivering less quality therapy." If they ask for details, please tell them that First Steps:
- Should be fully funded and not subject to appropriations.
- Should not throw away the million dollars that has already been spent improving and redesigning the program. Throwing that away to do Gov. Blunt's expensive new rebidding process and regional centers plan will ultimately cost tax payers more, and remove uniform statewide practices resulting in less quality therapy for kids. (see sidebar for details)
- Should establish a fair sliding fee schedule, especially for low income families. Senate Bill 500 charges monthly fees to families making as little as $5000 annually.
- Should be consistent with IDEA Part C in which copayments will be covered by federal funds. Otherwise parents will have to pay $1200 to $4575 in annual copayments to their insurance company. Also, there should not be any premium increases tied to insurance coverage of early intervention services.
These are the people to call (for a list of all legislators, including everyone on the Pensions Committee with complete contact info, please click here):
- Governor Matt Blunt
(573) 751-3222
- Rod Jetton
Speaker of the House
573-751-5912
- Carl Bearden
House Speaker Pro Tem
573-751-2949
- Rep.Brad Lager
Chairman of House Budget Com.
573-751-9465
- Tom Dempsey
House Majority Floor Leader
573-751-1141
- Michael Gibbons
Senate President Pro Tem
(573) 751-2853
- Charlie Shields
Senate Majority Floor Leader
(573) 751-9476
2. Send a Letter to the Editor of your local paper and share your concerns regarding Senate Bill 500.
3. Print a copy of our flyer and share it with your friends, family, pediatrician, teachers, therapists and daycare providers and ask them to help Missouri’s special needs children. To download the flyer, click here
4. If you haven't signed the petition, you can do so by clicking here
| A closer look at two issues with Senate Bill 500: 1. Subject to annual appropriations. Governor Blunt’s education pledge was to “never spend less on education than the year before.” In his state of the state address he said: "So that all Missouri children can reach their full potential, we must make education our highest public policy and budget priority." Senate Bill 500 is subject to appropriations which means each year this program is at risk of losing its funding. As of today, there is only $1 million in the First Steps budget, $26 million more is needed. 2. Change doesn’t mean improvement and will cost more. In 1998 a consultant was hired at a cost of over a million dollars and thousands of hours to do a comprehensive redesign of First Steps. These improvements started becoming effective in 10/04 and are already saving taxpayers a substantial amount of money. But many are just being implemented. For instance, as of 3/1/05, the First Steps Central Finance Operation has moved to a complete paperless system - no more printing and mailing of paper authorizations, checks and claims. All of these are now submitted electronically. Currently less than 6% of the First Steps budget goes to direct administration costs making this successful program also very efficient. Senate Bill 500 - crafted in a few short weeks - throws away all these cost-savings and program improvements by creating a completely different program model involving ten regional systems. Senate Bill 500 offers no cost savings projections for this “reform” which in reality will cost taxpayers more to set-up and then administer since administrative duties will have to be duplicated at all ten areas. Even worse, if ten different regional providers replace the current First Steps model, we will lose our uniform system that ensures quality, consistency and equity statewide for all families. |