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accessHealthNews.net
January 2022
Volume 8 | Issue No. 53
"For those individuals who are uninsured or under-insured, they're going to
get sick at a higher rate than if they have preventative or maintenance care,
and they're going to receive care in emergency rooms or other health care
settings that may be too late and too expensive. There's a lot of suffering that
takes place to that individual before they receive care, and it's going to cost
somebody something."
E
arlier this year, Missouri became the 39th
state to expand Medicaid coverage,
providing access to affordable health care
to more than 200,000 newly eligible adults.
Kansas is now completely landlocked by
states that have decided to adopt and
implement Medicaid expansion. In neighboring
states, expanded coverage and eligibility
requirements have made better quality health
care more accessible to more people. As for
the majority of Kansans, they say – it's our turn.
Barriers to health care, including high costs
of insurance, have kept necessary care out
of reach for many. Fear of high hospital bills
keeps people from seeking care until it's
absolutely necessary, increasing not only
emergency room visits but also preventable
injuries, illnesses, and deaths. Affordable
health insurance allows individuals to invest in
their health, allowing patients and providers
to develop a cost-effective, high-quality
continuum of care.
Recently, more than 160 community leaders
came together to discuss the need to expand
Medicaid in Kansas. "Business, Faith, Health:
Why Medicaid Expansion is Right for Kansas"
explored the justifications for Medicaid
expansion not only from a health and
economic perspective, but from a place of
faith and compassion as well.
The panel of speakers featured Joe Reardon,
president and CEO of the Greater Kansas
City Chamber of Commerce, Reverend Dr.
Nanette Roberts, senior pastor of Grace
United Methodist Church in Olathe, and Dr.
Robert Simari, executive vice chancellor of the
University of Kansas Medical Center.
IMPROVING PUBLIC HEALTH
Dr. Simari began by highlighting the effect that
social determinants of health can have on a
person's wellbeing, regardless of the quality
of care being given by their providers. The
result is disproportionate health statuses across
communities, with life expectancies changing
just by crossing a block. To combat this, he
believes the solution is a coordinated payer
system that works to eliminate some of the
barriers keeping people from accessing and
investing in routine care.
"It's estimated that Medicaid expansion in
Kansas would cover about 165,000 Kansans,
with two-thirds of those working full-time," he
said. something."
