A public forum espousing the expansion of KanCare — the name Kansas has given the federally funded Medicaid program to cover health care costs for low-income Kansans — will be at 11 a.m. Thursday at Allen County Regional Hospital.
The forum is hosted by the Alliance for a Healthy Kansas, a network of health care advocates, business leaders, doctors and hosptials, social service organizations, faith-based communities and others in the state.
The group’s aim is to expand KanCare to cover additional residents, providing insurance to as many as 150,000 socially distressed residents.
Advocates contend the state’s resistance to expanding the program — an offshoot of the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare — has cost the state as much as $1.2 billion in federal funds.
“Expanding KanCare is crucial to our state’s economic future, and it would help more than 150,000 Kansans gain affordable health coverage,” said David Jordan, executive director of the Alliance for a Healthy Kansas, which is helping organize community forums around the state. “That’s why we’re building this effort, to unite our voices and urge elected officials to act now.”
Jordan is one of several expected to speak at Thursday’s forum.
Others are Tony Thompson, ACRH chief executive office; David Toland, Thrive Allen County executive director, Suzan Emmons, who will speak about the consumer in the coverage gap, and Sheldon Weisgrau of the Health Reform Resource Project.
Speakers contend the rejection of KanCare expansion — a decision by the governor and legislature — is costing the state jobs, economic stimulus, and access to affordable health coverage.
The forum, organizers said, is an opportunity for local business owners, faith leaders, doctors, uninsured workers and other concerned community members to discuss and learn more about the importance of expanding KanCare.
They point to polls that show 76 percent of Kansans support a budget-neutral KanCare expansion plan.
Such a plan was introduced earlier this year in the State Legislature, but has garnered scant support.
Since the landmark Supreme Court ruling in June 2012, states have had the option of expanding their federally funded Medicaid programs to cover more low-income families.
So far, 31 states have done so. By law, expansion is funded by the federal government at no less than 90 percent.
Thus, advocates contend, Kansas does not save money by refusing expansion. Rather it simply gives up the opportunity to bring tax dollars back into the state.
