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accessHealthNews.net
May 2022
Volume 8 | Issue No. 57
A
recent webinar from the Kansas City Medical Society
Foundation titled, "Let's Talk KanCare: What Every
Kansan Should Know about Medicaid Expansion" explored
the mystery surrounding Kansas's eligibility requirements
for Medicaid. Currently, 165,000 Kansans are left out of
coverage due to seemingly nonsensical requirements,
leaving many unable to receive necessary care or
burdened with debt. Panelists outlined the specific issues
with the current eligibility limit, as well as how KanCare
can reduce health care costs for everyone and protect
Kansans from medical debt.
The webinar panel included April Holman, Molly Gotobed,
and Karole Bradford, moderated by El Centro's Erica
Andrade. Holman serves as the Executive Director of
Alliance for a Healthy Kansas, an organization leading
the work for expanding KanCare through education
and personal stories. Gotobed is the Program Director
with the Community Health Council of Wyandotte
County. Through her program Kansas Assistance Network,
Gotobed helps communities directly with Medicaid and
marketplace applications, as well as finding health and
social care services. As part of the Kansas City Medical
Society Foundation, a health care partner of the webinar,
Bradford works on issues of health equity and access,
including work with Alliance for a Healthy Kansas.
Fixing the Eligibility Limit
To understand the benefits of KanCare, it's important to
first understand who is currently being left out of coverage
due to eligibility requirements. In Kansas, those who qualify
for Medicaid include people who are:
• Pregnant.
• Responsible for a child 18 years of age or younger.
• Blind or have a disability or a family member in your
household with a disability.
• 65 years of age or older.
To be eligible for Medicaid, individuals must also meet
annual household income requirements, which are
dependent on household size.
According to Gotobed, one key point is consistently lost
among conversations about Medicaid expansion -- yes,
she and other organizations receive referrals to assist
people in need, but unfortunately many of them don't
qualify. In the month of April alone, she has received
several referrals for people who are ill and need specialty
care, who can't work because of their illness, and can't
get the care they need because they don't meet eligibility
requirements for one reason or another.
Currently, a parent with one child has to earn less than
$600 per month to qualify for Kansas Medicaid. A family
of three has to earn $730 or less per month. Many people,
especially those with an injury or chronic illness, are
consequently not incentivized to work so they can remain
under the earning limit.
"Folks without kids who are very ill or have an injury that
they need taken care of, even if they have no income,
they don't qualify," she said. "That is heartbreaking." In
her experience, many people become sick or injured and
believe they'll be able to sign up for Medicaid, without
understanding the limits in place. This often includes part-
time workers who are especially at risk because they make
too much to qualify for assistance but also aren't earning
high wages.
"We see this time and time again and I think there's a big
misunderstanding among the public and the medical
professionals about who can qualify for this," she said.
"They want to work. Majority of these people want some
type of health care so they can go to the doctor and get
better – but there's nothing we can do about it."
"The bottom line is that KanCare expansion would help more low-wage
people obtain coverage so they can avoid going into that medical debt in the
first place. It would help them to receive the care and treatment they need to
maintain good health and financial stability." - April Holman
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