Health Care Reform in Missouri

Every faith speaks to helping those in need.  Today, nearly 800,000 Missourians must make tough decisions regarding their medical care because they lack insurance.  Elderly people must decide between medications or food; cancer patients must decide between having a costly medical procedure that will put them tens of thousands of dollars in debt or having the cancer go untreated; children are missing hundreds of school days because the medications necessary to control their asthma symptoms are too expensive.  ALL of these stories can be prevented or avoided and WE can help.   

Since 2006, Faith Beyond Walls has committed itself to educating our communities about health care discussions and advocating for improved access. We chose health care reform because this topic has become a moral issue causing pain and suffering to our loved ones and neighbors. Did you know:

• 12% of Missouri’s entire population and 6% of Missouri’s children are uninsured
• Children without a constant state of insurance lack consistent medical visits and typically have one or more unmet healthcare needs
  • Common childhood illnesses such as sore throats and ear aches have drastic consequences if left untreated
  • Studies have shown that uninsured children are sick more often then insured children, leading to more missed school days
• 40% of Missouri’s children rely on Medicaid programs for their health coverage. Over 63,000 children rely on the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP), a part of Medicaid.
  • SCHIP covers children in families up to 300% of the Federal Poverty Level ($61,950 per year for a family of four) who do not have access to affordable health insurance

What can you do?

1. Sign-up for our e-advocacy network to occasionally receive e-mails about health care status in Missouri and what you can do to affect change.

2. Join Missouri Health Care for All, a grassroots network of faith and community leaders committed to achieving affordable, accessible, quality health care for everyone in Missouri.

3. Hold a Health Care Forum at your congregation with the documentary, “Collateral Damage.” Tennessee has faced many of the challenges as Missouri with drastic effects.  “Collateral Damage” shows what happens to those who are affected by policy changes and opens the discussion for how Missouri can move forward.

4. Contact your state and federal legislators and let them know how important it is to expand health care coverage in Missouri!

5. Talk about health care reform. Encourage others to make health care reform a priority.

Together, let’s put our FAITH INTO ACTION!

For more information, please contact Stacey Sickler at
314-531-4787 or e-mail Stacey Sickler