Kansas Reflector: New report estimates Medicaid expansion could save Kansas employers up to $80.6M
By Noah Taborda | April 24, 2021
TOPEKA — A new report indicates employers in some of Kansas’ most critical industries could save tens of millions of dollars a year if the state were to expand Medicaid.
The Kansas Health Institute report indicates private-sector employers would save between $39.6 million and $80.6 million if Kansas opted into Medicaid expansion. Kansas businesses currently employ about 139,000 people in industries like health care, food services and manufacturing, who would qualify with the expansion of KanCare, the program through which the state administers Medicaid.
April Holman, executive director for the Alliance for a Healthy Kansas, also noted several non-financial benefits tied to data from other states that have expanded their program.
“Employees in expansion states have reported that the because of access to needed care like medication and treatments, particularly in the case of behavioral health needs, like mental illness and substance use disorders, they were much better equipped to continue their work and to be more productive in that work,” Holman said.