Its a new year and with a new year always comes new resolutions. Rather than creating new ones, I decided to look back over last year to see what we accomplished. I didnt have very high expectations, but the results did surprise me a little as the grades following the goal indicate. We had actually accomplished more than I believed we would.
The first goal I set for last year was to carve out long term care and supports from KanCare. We have repeatedly warned the state about KanCare and the negative effects of managed care on people with disabilities.
Under KanCare, people with disabilities witnessed service reductions, reduced staffing levels and participated in the bureaucratic nightmare of managed care.
We have not witnessed the improvement in health outcomes that KanCare promised.
We have not witnessed the increased resources for community employment that Kancare promised.
We have not seen the increased efficiencies that KanCare promised.
We have not seen an improvement in behavioral health care that Kancare promised.
To resolve the issue, we created a bill that would have returned our system to the one prior to KanCare when we had a system that actually worked.
Lo and behold there was opposition from the state, a couple of organizations that have benefited from special rates and the managed care companies (MCO) themselves. Its understandable why the MCOs would want to protect their $300 million profit at the expense of people with disabilities. (Grade: D)
The next goal was for state government to support people with disabilities.
This included an individuals right to be independent, to be a valued part of the community, for their employment needs to be provided for and to have access to the mental health, transportation and medical care they need.
The state of Kansas has elected a new governor who may be sympathetic to our needs, so only time will tell whether we meet this goal or not. (Grade: D)
Thirdly, we wanted to see a fair reimbursement system that eliminated the 4,000-person waiting list, that allows agencies like Tri-Valley not only to survive, but grow and build capacity. This would also allow for recruitment and retention of well-trained employees. Although we did see a 3 percent increase in rates this past year, we still have a lot of catching up to do. (Grade: C-)
Next, we wanted to see a system that was consistent and easy to navigate.
Currently we deal with four processes (state and three managed care organizations), job titles, credentialing rules and vocabularies that create inefficiencies, confusion and stress. The state did make a little bit of progress in this arena, but it was very small and there is still a long way to go. (Grade: D)
