Mo. governor candidate Hulshof outlines health care plan

COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) -- Republican gubernatorial candidate Kenny Hulshof is outlining his health care plan.

Hulshof was to announce his proposal Tuesday at a heart center in Columbia and a doctor's office in Kansas City.

Democratic gubernatorial candidate Jay Nixon has made health care his top campaign issue. He wants to reverse the 2005 Medicaid cuts enacted by Republican Gov. Matt Blunt and the Republican-led Legislature.

Nixon also has proposed to allow middle-class families to buy into a government-run health care plan for their children.

Hulshof has generally backed Blunt's Medicaid cuts as a budgetary necessity. He says getting a handle on health-care costs requires more than putting people on Medicaid. Hulshof says his proposal also will help small businesses provide health insurance for their employees.