At the Kansas Health Foundation, after thirty years of grant making, it has become increasingly clear to us that changing policies creates the most change for people.
It’s important to ensure that all Kansans have the opportunity to live a healthy life. Currently, because Kansas has not taken advantage of KanCare (Kansas Medicaid) expansion, the state has created an unfair gap that is leaving at least 150,000 Kansans without many options for health care coverage.
These include people like Marcillene. Marcillene is a Wichita State University student. She attends school full time and is a cashier part time to help pay her expenses. She’s doing her part to take care of herself, but Marcillene had a setback this past year when she was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. While she was eligible for a Kansas Board of Regents health plan, the premiums were unaffordable, thus leaving Marcillene in a coverage gap—she was one of those people making too much money from her part-time job to meet Medicaid eligibility but earning too little to qualify for federal subsidies from a Marketplace health insurance plan under the Affordable Care Act (ACA).
In November, legislators from across the state of Kansas had the opportunity to hear Marcillene’s story and hear from people at health systems as well as elected officials from another state who have stepped up to the challenge and expanded their own Medicaid program.
On November 3, representatives from the “red state” of Indiana visited Wichita for an event to consider KanCare expansion. This was a key time to include legislators in a dialogue with stakeholders and to hear that KanCare expansion is possible.
In addition to this forum that was held, health foundations across the state (the Healthcare Foundation of Greater Kansas City, Kansas Health Foundation, REACH Healthcare Foundation, Sunflower Foundation, United Methodist Health Ministry Fund, and Wyandotte Health Foundation) are raising their voices in support of KanCare expansion.
Kansas’ severe and growing budget crisis recently prompted legislators to pay a consultant $2.6 million in hopes of finding more savings and efficiencies. Yet, for two years, Kansas has ignored a national policy decision that could be saving the state millions of dollars right now while providing more than 150,000 uninsured Kansans with health coverage.
In those two years, our state has given up more than $800 million in federal funds, already paid by Kansans through their taxes, by not expanding KanCare. As of January 12, thirty-two states and the District of Columbia already have expanded their Medicaid programs. Kansas officials could learn from them, perhaps choosing the best from the various approaches to craft a Kansas-based solution.
A report by Manatt Health Solutions, commissioned for Kansas Grantmakers in Health, points to a number of areas where our state’s budget would realize annual savings by expanding KanCare. Kansas already spends millions from its state treasury to provide critical services to the uninsured. With KanCare expansion and the federal match offered, Kansas could expect to save much of what it currently spends, including:
- $28.4 million each year to reimburse hospitals and clinics for the uncompensated care they provide
- $9.3 million earmarked annually for medical services to prison inmates
There is plenty of evidence that expansion is a win–win for states—it saves state budgets money and injects millions of dollars into state economies, while providing health care coverage to thousands of state residents. We must find a state-based solution to ensure that more Kansans have access to health care.
from Health Affairs Blog http://ift.tt/1QfQfVt
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