State representatives are taking heat from a local political organization for passing what amounts to an unfunded program. A report issued Wednesday called state house representatives hypocrites.

Missouri's Provote Coalition claims that house republicans backed out on Medicaid funding. In 2005 the Blunt administration made cuts to Medicaid that left thousands of Missourians off the Medicaid rolls. Provote said in 2005, 400,000 Missourians lost some benefits.

One fourth of those recipients cut lost all benefits. The remaining three fourths lost dental and visual coverage. In 2007, representatives voted 92 to 67 to pass the Healthnet bill, restoring dental and visual coverage. But, in 2008, that bill failed to pass the budget process by a vote of 77-74. That means no restorations of funding visual or dental Medicaid coverage.

State representatives who voted against the funding said there was just no room in the budget.

"SB577 was a way to reform that system, we made provisions in there to fund some things by appropriation. Our current budget situation, doesn't, isn't going to allow us to do that," said Rep. Doug Ervin.

"Their excuse is there is no money but they could have found the money," said Jane Whitesides, Provote organizer.

Whitesides has a theory about why there was no funding in the budget for Medicaid vision and dental benefits. She said it's because of tax cuts given to wealthy seniors. Legislators said they are hard at work on improving Medicaid.

Reported by Nick Berardini