Governor Matt Blunt is asking state lawmakers to allocate an additional $500,000 in state funds for the Show Me Healthy Women Program, which offers free breast and cervical cancer screenings to thousands of underinsured and uninsured women.
If approved by the General Assembly, the added funding for the Fiscal Year that begins July 1st would expand the program to an additional 1225 women next year. Women who are eligible for this program must meet specific residency, age, and income guidelines.
In addition, the Governor is pulling taxpayer funding from Planned Parenthood facilities in Springfield and Joplin through the Show Me Healthy Women Program. The Governor says this helps ensure women have access to preventative care without using the services of abortion providers.
Download/Listen: Steve Walsh interviews Governor Blunt (3:00 MP3)