Expanding Medicaid to include more Kansans would save the state money. KANSAS is fairly stingy with its Medicaid benefits. Today, a household with one child between the ages of 6 and 18 cannot bring home more than $903 a month. If the child is younger than 6, the monthly income limit raises to $1,201. If a woman is pregnant or has an infant under 1, the maximum monthly income is $1,354. MEDICAID is the biggest safety net for our state’s children. Nationwide, more than 30 percent of U.S. children depend on Medicaid to help pay for doctor’s visits, immunizations and necessary procedures. IN RECENT weeks the governors of Florida, Arizona and New Jersey, stalwart opponents of the Affordable Care Act, have reversed their opposition to Medicaid expansion. Despite their aversion to the federal plan, they know the math weighs in their favor.
The math is pretty simple. The more people on the health insurance, the fewer medical emergencies will be incurred. Good health practices, such as regular checkups, prevent costly procedures when emergencies happen — and they will happen. Preventive care makes for a healthier work force, meaning fewer missed workdays.
Hospitals, too, view Medicaid as their safety net when treating the uninsured because they typically skip paying their bills.
Kansas legislators are currently debating the merits of accepting federal funds to broaden the state’s Medicaid safety net. It would mean an additional 160,000 residents would receive health benefits. Today about one in 10 Kansas residents, or 300,000, are on the Medicaid rolls.
Under the expansion, the federal government would pay 100 percent of the first three years, beginning in 2014, followed by 90 percent funding from then on.
If the household makes a dollar more, the benefits are withdrawn.
This is another example of “doughnut-hole” economics. The very poor are covered, but those with low-income jobs are left to fall through the cracks. To date, the cost of health insurance is out of reach of the working poor and not so poor.
And of course it’s not only the poor who receive Medicaid, but also the disabled and elderly.
The expanded model of Medicaid would extend benefits to adults who make 138 percent of the federal poverty guidelines, about $15,420 a year.
While children comprise more than 50 percent of Medicaid cases, their care consumes less than a quarter of Medicaid expenses.
That’s because the number of elderly poor in the United States is growing and their long-term care expenses are putting significant strains on state and federal budgets.
For those in nursing homes, Medicaid is the main coverage option for long-term care services. Medicare does not cover stays in nursing homes and private coverage usually doesn’t, either.
Currently, Medicaid expenses in Kansas are about $2 billion a year, with the federal government picking up two-thirds of the tab. The Medicaid expansion would mean an additional $800 million over the three years.
So, too, should Kansas.
— Susan Lynn
