It's anyone's guess whether the same door Gov. Matt Blunt closes when he leaves office in December will hit Insure Missouri on his way out.

The Legislature didn't pass Mr. Blunt's proposal to provide insurance to roughly 200,000 Missourians this year.

Since he's bypassing attempts at re-election, his upcoming exit puts the future of the initiative into question.

Mr. Blunt's spokeswoman, Jessica Robinson, said the governor had laid the groundwork for a plan that he hopes the Legislature will take up again in 2009.

"I don't really know what to expect because I don't know who the governor is going to be," Rep. Dr. Rob Schaaf, R-St. Joseph, said of the plan's chances next year.

Dr. Schaaf handled legislation that would have enacted Insure Missouri this year, but his version never came up for a vote.

If Democratic front-runner Attorney General Jay Nixon prevails in the gubernatorial election, politicians expect him to attempt to restore cuts to Medicaid that Mr. Blunt made in 2005 - making Insure Missouri a moot point.

If a Republican grabs the governor's office, Senate President Pro Tem Mike Gibbons, R-Kirkwood, and other party leaders anticipate the Insure Missouri concept to "germinate" in some fashion in 2009.

"I don't know what iteration of Insure Missouri will come back, but I do know the issue of the uninsured will continue to come back," Senate Majority Floor Leader Charlie Shields, R-St. Joseph, said. "It's an issue that will not go away. I almost guarantee there will be an effort to bring more people into coverage."

Mr. Shields is expected to be elected as Senate president.

Mr. Blunt had intended to initiate the first phase of Insure Missouri in March without an endorsement from the Legislature. When asked if he again would try to start Insure Missouri on his own before he leaves office, Ms. Robinson said the scenario wasn't an option.

Without funding for the plan's additional phases, she said Insure Missouri can't move forward.

Alyson E. Raletz can be reached

at alysonraletz@npgco.com.