<\/a>It\u2019s now a law in Missouri that, if you\u2019re on Medicaid, and you miss your doctor\u2019s appointment without notifying the doctor 24 hours in advance, you can be charged a fine<\/a>. The charge for the first missed appointment is $5, the second is $10 and the third is $20. Way to go, state legislature: You’ve just added a new poverty crime to the books.<\/p>\n

The new law also allows providers in Missouri Health Net [Missouri\u2019s name for Medicaid] to refuse to schedule new appointments until the missed appointment fee is paid.<\/p>\n

Those fees may not sound like a lot to someone earning a middle-income paycheck or above, but they count. They’re a way of nickel-and-diming people who can afford it least. And they can be a barrier to healthcare for people who are financially disadvantaged.<\/p>\n

Fortunately, the fee is unlikely to win approval from the federal government.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019ve consistently told states they cannot impose a missed appointment fee. I\u2019m not sure that will ever be approved,\u201d said St. Louis University School of Law Professor Sidney Watson of the Center for Health Law Studies.<\/p>\n

But in Missouri, passing a law that is unconstitutional, or inhumane, or in violation of federal rules typically does not deter the Republican-dominated state legislature. Apparently, in their quest to pander to the worst instincts of their voter base, they like to go on record as being in favor of these extreme measures. Case in point: The Missouri legislature just enacted\u2014over Democratic Governor Jay Nixon\u2019s veto\u2014a law that removes the need for a permit or any training if you want to carry a concealed gun. The law also institutes the \u201ccastle doctrine\u201d or \u201cStand-Your-Ground\u201d principle that allows you to shoot first, and ask questions later, if you feel\u2014in any way\u2014threatened. \u00a0That law resulted in national media dubbing Missouri the \u201cShoot-Me\u201d state.<\/p>\n

The new missed-appointment fee is only the latest in the laundry list of poverty crimes<\/a> that plague low-income people in Missouri, and elsewhere. Around here, you can pile up lots of fees\u2014traffic fines, court costs, appearance costs\u2014then get arrested for non-payment and put behind bars until you bail yourself out for a few hundred dollars. Then you get fired for not showing up to work, and lose your paycheck, which puts you back into the non-payment cycle.<\/p>\n

Moral of the story: Don\u2019t be poor in Missouri. But don\u2019t count on your elected officials to help you, either.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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