"My friend works at the store, and she went to go pull up my information in the computer. Then she just tells me, 'Larry, your Medicaid is inactive,'" Larry said.

It wasn't until his caseworker called him that he realized it was no mistake.

The 41-year-old resident of Nixa has cerebral palsy. Stephens works to support his family of four with the $200 he earns at a workshop for disabled people. His wife Julie is the breadwinner of the family.

Larry said he recently got some bad news -- he will lose government-funded coverage for the insulin he needs to keep his diabetes in check.

"I do the best I can," said Larry. "Sometimes I don't take my medicine because I just can't afford it," he continued. But Larry knows he can't skip his insulin without incurring even more serious health problems.

Gov. Matt Blunt's 2005 Medicaid cuts took 94,850 off Missouri's Medicaid program. These cuts left another 300,000 with only partial coverage, according to the Department of Social Services.

Julie Stephens said she has not had a health care plan since she was in college. She works 39 hours a week as a home care attendant for an autistic woman. She describes her job as often being in contention with her life. She provides care when she does not have health care; she looks after someone with autism while her own son copes with the same disease.

"We're helping other people, but who's going to help us?" Julie asked.

Julie is just one of many Missourians without health care. According to the Census Bureau's 2007 data and the Social Services Department, there are currently 729,000 uninsured Missourians, roughly 12 percent of the state population. Among the uninsured, 150,000 Missouri children do not have health care coverage, meaning 1 in 10 are not insured.  

The Stephen's children do receive coverage under Medicaid; but Julie is not covered under any of the state's programs.  Julie, who has Fibromyalgia and lung problems, said she has had to skip some of her 13 medications: inhalers, steroids, and anti-inflammatories.

Although MO Health Net, the state's Medicaid program, provides coverage to some 833,112 people, efforts made to create other state programs to provide health care coverage to Missourians have failed in Missouri's legislature.

In the fall of 2007, Gov. Matt Blunt proposed Insure Missouri to provide health care to more than 200,000 lower income workers.   

Although the measure met with stiff opposition from fellow Republicans in the legislature, a similar approach for expanded health-care coverage emerged in the Senate from Sen. Tom Dempsey, R- St. Charles County.  Dempsey's measure cleared the Senate but died  in the House.  

The chair of the House Healthcare Transformation Committee -- Rep. Rob Schaaf, R-St. Joseph -- refused to bring the bill to the floor unless the bill included provisions to ease state controls over expansion of medical facilities.

Behind the debate over expanded health care coverage lies federal provisions that assure every persons can get emergency medical treatment when necessary.  But health advocates say that level of coverage does not provide preventive care nor continuity of care.

The Stephens' try to stick with their original doctors, who they said have been very helpful in addressing their medical needs, even if they cannot afford the care.

What weighs most heavily on the family's mind though, is what to do in January.

 Candidate Positions on Health Care Coverage

Candidates for Governor

• Kenny Hulshof, Republican: Kenny Hulshof supports government-subsidized health care for those who cannot afford it. His proposed HealthMAX program would give low-income families subsidized health savings accounts with access to $500 in preventative services that can be rolled over to the next year.  Participants would be expected to share the costs with up to 5% of their income. Hulshof does not support mandatory health care.
  
• Jay Nixon, Democrat: Nixon supports restoring the 2005 health care cuts and using the federal matching dollars available to the state. He also supports expanded access to all children by: restoring coverage to children cut in the Medicaid cuts of 2005. He wants to encourage families with children to enroll in Medicaid or the State Childrenâ019s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) if they are eligible.
  
• Andy Finkenstadt, Libertarian: Finkenstadt said he does not believe it is the state's duty to mandate and provide health-care, but that charities and other organizations should provide for the health-care of the poor.
  
• Gregory Thompson, Constitution: Thompson believes government is a major problem in health care and that the private sector should pay the health care of those who cannot afford it, such as people with disabilities, veterans, and orphans. Thompson proposes doing a study on pharmaceutical drug prices to see how pharmaceutical drug prices can be lowered for the people of Missouri.  Health care would be kept voluntary.