This report is designed to serve as an introduction to the Kansas Medicaid program, a state/federal partnership that provided health insurance coverage to approximately 250,000 Kansans in 2008.
Important information in the primer includes:
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- The federal government contributes approximately $1.50 for every dollar of state Medicaid spending in Kansas
- In 2008, Medicaid accounted for nearly 15 percent of the state budget (State General Fund only) and represented a significant portion of total spending on health care services. It was second only to K-12 education in terms of state spending
- While children and pregnant women comprised two-thirds all Medicaid enrollees in 2008, they incurred less than one-quarter of Medicaid expenditures
- In 2008, 21 percent of all Medicaid enrollees in Kansas were disabled, but this population incurred 51 percent of total state expenditures for the program
- Adults that are not parents, pregnant, disabled or elderly are not eligible for Medicaid in Kansas.
Kansas Medicaid: A Primer was jointly produced by the Kansas Legislative Research Department and the Kansas Health Institute, with technical assistance from the Kansas Health Policy Authority.