Senators: Follow Kansas House lead and expand KanCare

It is important to recognize our elected representatives when they do something good. Recently, 81 members of the Kansas House did something good for 150,000 hardworking Kansans when they voted in favor of expanding KanCare, the state’s Medicaid program.

Timing of this vote was of the essence. Our state’s decision not to expand KanCare has cost Kansans $1.7 billion of our own tax dollars – money that is currently going to the federal government to help 31 other states expand their Medicaid programs.

As the Affordable Care Act is debated in Washington, DC, those same states are clamoring to ensure their expansion efforts are protected. Kansas needs to be included or we risk losing even more over the coming years.

In his speech at the Conservative Action Political Conference in late February, Gov. Sam Brownback talked about the need for Congress to move forward with repealing and replacing the ACA in a “politically sound” manner. When asked to clarify what “politically sound” meant, the governor explained that Congress needed to preserve the ACA’s expansion of Medicaid. “They need to figure out: How are they going to allow people to stay on the Medicaid expansion? But let’s set a date certain – after that, no more added,” Brownback said.

With these statements, I am hopeful our governor is suggesting we move forward with expanding our KanCare program before Congress acts to cut off additional states from doing the same. Any other interpretation of his comments would suggest he is more concerned about the low-income individuals living in the 31 states who have expanded their Medicaid programs than in our fellow Kansans who would benefit from gaining access to health coverage.

Inaction on expansion has had a very negative financial impact on Via Christi. Our organization employs more than 8,000 people statewide, with salaries and wages totaling $424 million. However, since 2013, we have experienced Medicare reimbursement cuts of more than $40 million annually – cuts amounting this year to $6.2 million. Meanwhile, the amount of charity care we provide has increased dramatically through the first two quarters this fiscal year, nearing $125 million.

In order to adjust to this challenging environment, we have had to make difficult operational decisions, including reducing our workforce by 650 jobs since 2013. This has resulted in $52 million annually in lost wages from the communities we serve, or a cumulative impact of more than $150 million in lost state spending.

That is why we will be closely watching how the Kansas Senate debates the issue when it comes to them next. We look forward to applauding their support. If you haven’t, I encourage you to call your senator and express your support for expanding KanCare.

This story was originally published March 13, 2017 at 5:04 AM with the headline "Senators: Follow Kansas House lead and expand KanCare."