Local governments & closing the coverage gap

Fall 2024 campaign

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Kansas has a health coverage problem. Tens of thousands of Kansans fall into the coverage gap and don’t have access to affordable health insurance. Kansas has some of the most strict requirements in the country to qualify for our state’s Medicaid program, KanCare. This leaves a large group of Kansans without health insurance, making them vulnerable to high medical debt and leaving them with untreated physical and behavioral health issues.

This fall, the Alliance for a Healthy Kansas is working with advocates to get local governments like city commissions, county commissions, or other local governing bodies to support closing the health insurance coverage gap in Kansas.

Why should local governments care about closing the coverage gap? There are a number of benefits to cities and counties:

• Reduced crime and fewer individuals moving through the criminal justice system, which means lowered costs in police departments and jails.
• Increased access to behavioral health and substance use disorder services.
• Healthier residents, resulting in a healthier workforce.
• Increased economic development in all parts of the state.

Examples from 2023-2024

In 2023 & 2024, many cities and counties in Kansas passed resolutions supporting Medicaid expansion, or added Medicaid expansion to a list of their legislative priorities. Here are some examples of what passed in 2023:

Johnson County Board of Commissioners Proclamation (passed October 12, 2023)
Lawrence City Commission Resolution 7510 (passed November 7, 2023)
Hays City Commission Resolution 2023-027 (passed December 14, 2023)
Russell City Council Resolution 02-24 (passed January 2, 2024)
Emporia City Commission Resolution 3721 (passed January 17, 2024)
Wyandotte County Unified Government 2023 State Legislative Priorities – Medicaid Expansion #1
Wichita 2024 State Legislative Agenda

here’s what to do:

• Reach out to one of your local elected officials and introduce yourself. Ask them to consider adopting a resolution or proclamation supporting Medicaid expansion during the 2025 Legislative session. If they are not able to issue a resolution or proclamation, you can also request they add expansion to their list of legislative priorities.
  
• Use the resources below to help explain why you think your city/county/local government should support Medicaid expansion. Email us at Masara@ExpandKanCare.com if you have questions or are looking for something specific.
  
• When the resolution is considered at a community meeting, be sure to attend and have as many supportive friends and family members attend, as well. If you let us know when the meeting is, we’ll reach out to our network and ask advocates in the area to be there.
  
• Have your friends and family members in other communities reach out to their elected officials to do the same.

Resources

• Medicaid Expansion and Local Governments flier
• Advocacy Toolkit for Medicaid Expansion
• Medicaid Expansion and the Kansas Criminal Justice System fact sheet
• Medicaid for Justice-Involved Kansans fact sheet — NEW
• Medicaid Expansion is critical to help Kansans Experiencing Homelessness — NEW
• Medicaid Expansion and the Kansas Behavioral Health System fact sheet
• Medicaid Expansion and Kansas Economic Development fact sheet
• Medicaid Expansion and the Kansas Workforce infographic
• Medicaid Expansion Facts by Kansas County

Other resources and citations

• Medicaid Expansion’s Impact on the Kansas Behavioral Health System and Users of Behavioral Health Services (Kansas Health Institute Report, January 2023 report)
• The Consequences of Medicaid Expansion Under the Affordable Care Act for Police Arrests. (Research article from PLoS One, January 2022)
• The effect of health insurance on crime: Evidence from the Affordable Care Act Medicaid expansion (Clemson University John E Walker Department of Economics, October 2019)
• Unlock Savings: White Paper on Potential Cost Savings to Kansas Correctional System through ACA Medicaid Expansion (Kansas Appleseed white paper)
• Preliminary Estimates of the State and Local Tax Revenue Generated by the Expansion of Medicaid Expenditures (report from Dr. John Leatherman, February 2021)
• The Unexpected Costs of Not Expanding Medicaid in Kansas (Issue Brief, University of Kansas Institute for Policy & Social Research, May 2022)