new report confirms benefits of kancare expansion to behavioral health system

Expansion of the state’s Medicaid program, KanCare, would have a significant effect on the state’s behavioral health system, according to a new study from the Kansas Health Institute. The study showed that, among other things, KanCare expansion would lead to increased resources for behavioral health providers; decrease the costs of county jails in Kansas; and reduce the number of children entering the Kansas foster care system due to neglect. Kansas is one of only eleven states in the national who haven’t expanded their Medicaid programs.

steps to expansion – start advocating today!

We want to make it as easy as possible for you to engage in legislative advocacy for expansion this session. The “Steps to Expansion” initiative will make it easy for you to know where things stand with KanCare expansion legislation and how you can best participate at any given time. Use the graphic above to join us in advocating for accessible, affordable health insurance for all Kansans!

health in the 34th podcast: legislative 101

The 2023 Kansas legislative session has begun! If you are looking for a primer or refresher on how the legislative process works in Kansas, look no further! Sean Gatewood and April Holman of the Alliance for a Healthy Kansas do a deep dive into how bills become laws in Kansas and what that means for KanCare expansion.

Blog: Beginning the 2023 legislative session

Welcome to 2023! We find ourselves at the beginning of a new legislative session filled with fresh opportunities for positive policy change and an enormous need for citizen engagement in the legislative process. If you are reading this, there is a good chance that you support KanCare expansion as a way to provide increased access to affordable health care for tens of thousands of low-wage Kansans in need of coverage. We are delighted to have you alongside us in the movement for expansion!

KCUR: Medicaid expansion in Kansas: What to know before lawmakers convene in January

By Miranda Moore / Kansas City Beacon / December 29, 2022 Kansas is one of 11 states that have not expanded Medicaid eligibility. Will 2023 be the year it passes? Medicaid expansion is a popular policy among voters, in Kansas and across the country. More than 7 in 10 Kansas voters support expanding Medicaid eligibility, […]

VOyage kc: Exploring Life & Business with April Holman of Alliance for a Healthy Kansas

Today we’d like to introduce you to April Holman.
Hi April, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstories. I have an undergraduate degree in history and political science, which is not necessarily a direct pathway to employment. Law school seemed like a logical next step but after enrolling it didn’t take long for me to realize that the traditional practice of law was not for me. Since I am too stubborn to quit something that I have started, I stuck it out and finished the degree. Although I have been licensed as an attorney in Kansas for twenty-five years, I have never practiced traditional law.

Abilene reflector-chronicle: KanCare recipients should prepare to reenroll: advocates of Medicaid expansion prepare for legislative session

By Gail Parsons / Dec 19, 2022 Soon after the pandemic started shutting down offices and businesses the federal government declared a public health emergency, which put a temporary halt to the annual reenrollment for KanCare. During the public health emergency, no state was allowed to end a person’s eligibility for Medicaid — that pause […]

Chanute Tribune: NMRMC Chief: Medicaid expansion a pressing matter for Kansans, local economy

By: Matt Resnick, Chanute Tribune | November 22, 2022 The Kansas legislature’s failure to act on Medicaid expansion is costing Neosho County citizens dearly, according to Neosho Memorial Regional Medical Center CEO Dennis Franks. Kansas is currently one of only 12 states to have yet to implement expanded Medicaid coverage, with South Dakota soon to […]