Kansas Continues to Lag in Insurance Coverage

By Sheldon Weisgrau | Sept. 25, 2019 The Census Bureau’s annual report on health insurance is out, and the news isn’t good. Despite economic growth and low unemployment, the number of Americans without insurance rose by about 2 million in 2018, continuing an erosion in coverage that began the year before. Prior to that, both […]

How Political Maneuvering Derailed A Red State’s Path To Medicaid Expansion

By Lauren Weber | Sept. 6, 2019 TOPEKA, Kan. — This was supposed to be the year Medicaid expansion finally happened in Kansas. Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly, elected in November, had run on the issue. She triumphed in a state that had gone for Trump in 2016 by more than 20 percentage points and replaced […]

Hutchinson News: Gov. Laura Kelly directs council to explore Medicaid expansion options

By Tim Carpenter | Sept. 4, 2019 Gov. Laura Kelly pressed ahead with a central campaign theme Wednesday by directing a council to study the Medicaid expansion experience of three dozen other states and prepare a best-practices outline for use during the 2020 session of the Kansas Legislature. The 22-member council includes Rep. Jason Probst, […]

Kansas Health Institute 2019 Kansas Legislative Recap

During the 2019 legislative session more than 80 health-related bills were introduced, including more than a dozen child-welfare bills, but few progressed beyond the committee of origin. Even so, many important changes to health policy were enacted. This legislative recap examines some of the key health-related bills that were considered. It also includes a table […]

What’s the Best Way to Enhance Access to Behavioral Health Services? Expand KanCare

By Sheldon Weisgrau | Aug. 20, 2019 In response to recent episodes of gun violence, some Kansas legislators have called for an expansion of mental health services in the state. Although a link between mass shootings and mental illness has not been established, we agree that there is a dire need to enhance the behavioral […]

Despite Strong Economy, Uninsured Ranks Grew by 700,000

Even with a strong economy and robust job market, 700,000 people lost health insurance between 2016 and 2017, an Urban Institute study shows. The uninsured rate national increased from 10% in 2016 to 10.2% in 2017, the first increase since 2013 and the advent of the Affordable Care Act. Under the ACA, the uninsured rate […]

The Effects of Medicaid Expansion under the ACA: Updated Findings from a Literature Review

A substantial body of research has investigated effects of the Medicaid expansion under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) on coverage; access to care and related measures (including utilization, quality of care and health outcomes, provider capacity, and affordability and financial security); and various economic measures. This issue brief summarizes findings from 324 studies of the […]

Federal Government Denies Utah Plan for Partial Expansion

By Sheldon Weisgrau | Aug. 8, 2019 Last month we wrote about interest from some Kansas legislators in the so-called “Utah model” of Medicaid expansion. Utah proposed a partial Medicaid expansion, in which coverage would be extended only to 100% of the federal poverty level (FPL) – $12,490 for an individual and $21,330 for a […]