Lawmakers meet to discuss Medicaid backlog

Lawmakers say they have received a flood of phone calls from residents who are fed up with how long it’s taking the state to process applications for Medicaid, the insurance program for people with low incomes or who are disabled.

“I’m frustrated,” said Rep. Dan Hawkins, R-Wichita, chairman of the committee that oversees Medicaid in Kansas. “I’m truly frustrated.

“We’re hearing stuff daily. On my way back from lunch, I had an e-mail from someone who’s been waiting six months.”

Mounting problems with the state’s backlog of Medicaid applications prompted Thursday’s meeting of the KanCare Oversight Committee.

State officials told lawmakers Thursday that 3,587 applicants have been waiting 45 days or longer. That’s down from the 10,961 who had been waiting for that amount of time in mid-May.

Hawkins said one of his family members submitted the same document three or four times and received notice from the state each time that the application clearinghouse had not received the documentation.

“That shouldn’t be happening,” said Ilene Baylinson, general manager of health services for Maximus, the company contracted by the state to provide call center services at the clearinghouse.

“We understand the urgency,” she told lawmakers. “We take this responsibility seriously. This is fixable and we will fix it. You have our commitment.”

Sen. Michael O’Donnell, R-Wichita, complained that the application clearinghouse does not notify people when their application has been received.

“The fact that you don’t do the minimal efforts to make sure people know you received something is mind-blowing,” O’Donnell said.

“It’s completely unacceptable,” he said.

“We’re dealing with life and death issues here.”

Application clearinghouse

Medicaid, called KanCare in Kansas, is the state and federal health insurance program for people who are disabled or who have low incomes.

Lawmakers on the KanCare Oversight Committee, state workers and Cabinet leaders toured the Medicaid application clearinghouse Thursday.

Thursday’s tour followed the processing of applications from the clearinghouse mail room through the final eligibility determination.

The backlog was caused in part by the state switching its computer system that processes Medicaid applications about a year ago. The problem worsened in January, when the state switched the agency that oversees some of the applications. Then in mid-May the state found out that backlog had been inaccurately reported by its third-party contractor, Accenture, and was four times larger than previously thought.

The Kansas Legislative Division of Post Audit is investigating the backlog and will present its findings at the end of September.

The federal government became concerned and now requires Kansas to submit bi-weekly reports about the backlog and what the state is doing to address it.

Complex information

Baylinson, from the contracted call center company, said that clearinghouse workers receive extensive training about how to decipher and process the application materials, so hiring many people at one time can prove difficult.

The applications, she said, include specific banking and real estate information.

“It’s information I would have trouble providing,” she said.

“It’s far more complex than if you’re going to refinance your house.”

In reference to complaints about increased denials, incomplete applications and miscommunication during the application process, Sen. Laura Kelly, D-Topeka, said, “It’s no wonder it takes 14 tries to get your application done.”

“We’re asking people with limited resources to go online and figure this out,” she said. “These folks really need help.”

This story was originally published August 4, 2016 at 7:55 PM with the headline "Lawmakers meet to discuss Medicaid backlog."