Health Reform

Health reform has not played such a dominant role in public debate and policymaking for nearly 20 years. While there is growing agreement that fundamental changes must be made given the growing costs of health care and the toll that takes on individuals and the economy, there is still wide disagreement on what meaningful reform should entail. KHI researchers and journalists monitor and report on health reform efforts at the state and federal levels.

Kansas frustrations with exchange development common among states

Only a third of states ‘definitely will be ready’ for Oct. exchange deadline, national Medicaid official says

0 | Health Reform, HIE-HIT, Medicaid-CHIP

Development of the state's $139 million Medicaid enrollment system is currently "on time" and "within the budget," said Dr. Robert Moser, secretary of the agency spearheading the project. However, Moser said meeting the deadline has been complicated by the fact that details for connecting to the exchange have yet to be finalized by the federal government.

Policy and Research

Health Reform Brief: Affordable Care Act Will Increase Coverage, Demand for Mental Health Services

0 | Mar. 21, 2013 | Health Reform

This Kansas Health Institute health reform brief examines how the Affordable Care Act (ACA) may affect Kansans with mental illness as well as mental health providers.

Convening: Potential Costs of Medicaid Expansion in Kansas

0 | Feb. 19, 2013 | Health Reform, Medicaid-CHIP

A discussion of recent estimates on the cost of expanding Medicaid if Kansas were to do so under the Affordable Care Act. was hosted today by the Kansas Health Institute, the Kansas Policy Institute, and the Kansas Department of Health and Environment.

Issue Briefs: Kansans Share Thoughts on Health Care System and Affordable Care Act

0 | Jan. 31, 2013 | Health Insurance, Health Reform

The Kansas Health Institute conducted a study about how Kansans perceive the health care system and the Affordable Care Act. The study produced two briefs, “Kansans Share Thoughts on Health Care System” and “What Do Kansans Know about Health Reform?”

Issue Brief: Insurance Exchange Will Provide Many Kansas Consumers With New Options

0 | Jan. 08, 2013 | Health Insurance, Health Reform

In 2014, the Affordable Care Act’s individual mandate will require nearly all U.S. citizens to have health insurance. The health reform law also requires each state to have an online marketplace known as a health insurance exchange where people can obtain insurance. This new issue brief — the eighth in a series focusing on health reform — examines which Kansans would be most likely to use a health insurance exchange.

Issue Brief: ACA Medicaid Expansion: Enrollment and Cost Estimates for Kansas Policymakers

0 | Dec. 04, 2012 | Health Insurance, Health Reform, Medicaid-CHIP

This new issue brief examines the effects of a health reform provision to expand Medicaid eligibility for low-income adults.

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News

At least four Kansas coalitions applying for navigator grants

0 | May. 15, 2013 | Health Reform, Insurance

At least four Kansas coalitions plan to apply for federal grants aimed at helping consumers navigate the new, online health insurance marketplaces that are supposed to be in place nationwide by Oct. 1 as part of the Affordable Care Act.

CMS won’t penalize hospitals in states slow to expand Medicaid

0 | May. 14, 2013 | Health Reform, Medicaid-CHIP

That sigh of relief you heard Monday was from hospital administrators in nearly two dozen states, including Florida, Texas and Kansas. That’s because the Obama administration announced Monday that for the next two years, it doesn’t plan to penalize states that have yet to expand Medicaid coverage under the federal health law by targeting them for reduced Medicaid funding.

Insurer Centene: We can do Arkansas-style Medicaid

0 | May. 14, 2013 | Health Reform, Medicaid-CHIP

Last week the Arkansas legislature approved a plan to give Medicaid beneficiaries money to buy individual policies from private insurers on the state’s health insurance exchange. One insurer is already expressing interest.

Colorado Medicaid expansion moves forward with one Republican vote

0 | May. 14, 2013 | Health Reform, Medicaid-CHIP

Republican Colorado state Sen. Larry Crowder said he couldn’t vote against the bill when hospitals in his district are strained to the breaking point caring for the uninsured. Colorado hospitals strongly support the expansion, saying it will replace many of their unpaid bills with new Medicaid payments.

New Medicaid enrollment system remains on track

0 | May. 13, 2013 | Health Reform, Medicaid-CHIP

The building of a new Kansas Medicaid eligibility and enrollment system intended to be interoperable with the new federal health insurance marketplace remains on budget, according to the state's project overseer. But the system's planned connection to the federal insurance exchange could slip behind schedule, if federal officials don't pick up the pace on their end.

House member gathers signatures to extend DD KanCare "carve-out"

0 | May. 15, 2013 | Legislature, KanCare

Rep. John Rubin, a Shawnee Republican, has been collecting signatures from fellow House members who support extending for another year the "carve-out" of long-term supports for the developmentally disabled from KanCare.

When Government Worked for Kansas

0 | May. 16, 2013 | Commentary

For many generations, Kansans were governed by experienced, educated and thoughtful people who realized the great difference that government had made in their lives. The people elected to office had known lives before a time of new and noble purpose. They had come through a civil war, a panic, a great depression and two world wars. They saw the need for a government. It could not go away.

Governor's mental health initiative panned at Manhattan meeting

0 | May. 16, 2013 | Government, Mental Health

The Kansas Department for Aging and Disabilty Services has been conducting a listening tour to collect public input on Gov. Sam Brownback's mental health initiative. In Manhattan, critics said the mental health system is stretched too thin to do more without additional funding.

Kansas uses managed care contract for inmate services

0 | Dec. 12, 2011 | Corrections, Health Care Delivery

Kansas has used a managed care company to provide prison health care services since 1988. Correct Care Solutions, the current provider, signed its first contract with Kansas in 2005. The current contract is up for renewal in 2018. Officials said the fact the contract is for a relatively long term allows for more stability and better cost control.

A New Confederacy

1 | May. 18, 2013 | Commentary

Over the five decades leading to a new millennium, state government in Kansas had assumed a rhythm of reform and advancement. Today it thrums with the drone of demolition.

County Meals on Wheels program aims to prevent hospital readmissions

0 | Apr. 18, 2013 | Hospitals, Nutrition, Prevention

Officials at Johnson County Meals on Wheels say they are hoping the program can become a national model for preventing hospital readmissions among senior citizens.

A New Confederacy

1 | May. 18, 2013 | Commentary

Over the five decades leading to a new millennium, state government in Kansas had assumed a rhythm of reform and advancement. Today it thrums with the drone of demolition.

Kansas HIA Report: Potential Health Effects of Casino Development in Southeast Kansas

5 | Oct. 23, 2012 | Community Health, Public Health Systems and Services

The Kansas Health Institute recently completed its first health impact assessment, which examined the potential health effects associated with casino development in Southeast Kansas. This new report features findings of the health impact assessment and outlines recommendations to maximize the positive health benefits of a proposed casino and mitigate its potential negative effects on health.

E-cigarettes unregulated until legal status determined

5 | Nov. 01, 2010 | Agencies, Tobacco

Proponents say e-cigarettes deliver only nicotine with none of the hazardous chemicals of traditional cigarettes. The smoke-like vapor emitted is virtually odorless and harmless, they say. But opponents say little is known of e-cigarettes' health effects and until they've been rigorously studied, they should be banned - at least from public spaces.

Governor signs into law stem cell center bill

2 | Apr. 22, 2013 | KU Medical Center

Gov. Sam Brownback signed into law a bill requiring the University of Kansas Medical Center to create a center for conducting non-embryonic stem cell research.

Larned State Hospital nursing director fired

1 | May. 01, 2013 | Workforce, Hospitals, Mental Health

Larned State Hospital has fired its nursing director, but state officials would not comment on why, according to a report published by the Garden City Telegram. The hospital — one of two state-run inpatient facilities for mentally ill adults — has struggled with staffing issues in recent years.

Forms available for using federal health insurance exchanges

1 | Apr. 30, 2013 | Health Reform, Insurance

Federal health officials today released the forms to be used by applicants for health insurance coverage through the online exchanges or marketplaces that are scheduled to be in place in each of the states by Oct. 1.

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