This report is designed to serve as an introduction to the Kansas Medicaid program. The program, a state/federal partnership, provides health coverage to approximately 10 percent of Kansans.
Facts revealed in the primer include:
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- The federal government contributes approximately $1.50 for every dollar of state Medicaid spending in Kansas;
- Even with that match, Medicaid spending accounts for nearly one-fifth of the Kansas state budget and is second only to K-12 education in terms of state spending;
- Children account for half of all Medicaid enrollees, but less than one-quarter of Medicaid costs;
- Seniors and individuals with disabilities account for almost one-third of enrollees, but more than two-thirds of all expenditures. In fact, Kansas ranks fourth among the states for spending on the elderly and disabled.
Kansas Medicaid: A Primer was published as a cooperative effort between the Kansas Health Institute and the Kansas Legislative Research Department. It was distributed to the 2005 interim Special Committee on Medicaid Reform.