Funding For Infant Male Circumcisions Cut By State

The state of Missouri is cutting off funding for infant male circumcisions in poor families. The procedure has been paid for as part of the Medicaid program. But, the Division of Medical Service has decided to stop paying for it. Division Director Greg Vadner says it’s a fiscal and medical decision. Medicaid paid for about 5,300 infant male circumcisions last year. Vadner thinks the change in policy will save the program a quarter-million dollars or more this year. Vadner hopes the policy does not lead to lawsuits from religious groups for which circumcision is part of their faith. Vadner says his office consulted with several groups, including the American Academy of Pediatrics, and with individual doctors, before changingthe policy. He says the change is a reflection of change within the medical profession as well as a money-saving move.