If economic development is seen as the cure-all for Kansas, then the expansion of Medicaid would be the ticket. If we feel weve lost our way in terms of moral compassion, then Medicaid expansion would put us on a righteous path.
No one measure would help take Kansas into a healthier, more prosperous future than the expansion of Medicaid because of its ability to bring more money and jobs our way plus ensure that healthcare is not a privilege of only the wealthy.
Rural hospitals and clinics, especially, would benefit, allowing them to move bad debts into positive collections.
The overall health and financial security of our poor would improve with insurance, allowing them to seek health care in a more timely manner as opposed to last-minute visits to the emergency room.
Kansas is one of 17 states that has not expanded Medicaid. Because 77 percent of Kansans say they approve of its expansion, if it were on the ballot it assuredly would pass.
The citizens of Idaho, Nebraska and Utah have taken the matter into their own hands by putting the measure on their ballots in next weeks elections. If approved, Medicaid will cover those with incomes up to 138 percent of the federal poverty level, or the equivalent of a family of four with an income of $33,900. In Kansas, that same family can earn no more than $9,000 to qualify for Medicaid benefits.
In Montana, voters will decide whether to eliminate the state-imposed sunset of Medicaid expansion, due to occur in 2019.
SO WHAT do the majority of states know that we dont?
A. Health insurance, no matter its form, is good business. Medical emergencies continue to rank as the No. 1 cause of personal bankruptcies. By expanding Medicaid, Kansas would:
Reduce a familys medical debt, and
Give them greater financial security and flexibility. With insurance to help cover health care costs, people have more money to pay for other goods and services, helping the economy to grow more broadly.
B. Federal funds for expanding Medicaid are generous. If Kansas were to expand the program, the government would pay 95 percent of the cost. In the 4.5 years that Kansas has refused to expand Medicaid, it has lost out on more than $2.9 billion in federal funds.
If we said yes, who benefits?
Individual hospitals, clinics, nursing home and residential care facilities, mental health facilities, substance abuse programs, community health centers, those that provide services for the physically and mentally disabled, etc.
States that have expanded Medicaid report job growth. How? Better health outcomes means a healthier, more stable workforce with fewer missed workdays.
