The Kansas safety net system is made up of those providers that are required to provide care regardless of a patient’s ability to pay. These clinics provide services to many of the 340,000 Kansans who are uninsured.
Gina Maree, vice president of Health Policy for the Kansas Health Institute, delivered this presentation to the Senate Public Health and Welfare Committee on Jan. 22, 2009. The presentation includes information about the safety net system as well as the populations the system serves.
Among the findings shared with the committee:
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- The problem of the medically underserved will not be solved by safety net clinics alone
- The safety net system does not cover all medical services. Examples of these services include some specialty care, basic vision care, some disease management, rehabilitative services, and home health care.
- The safety net system in Kansas faces the following challenges: problems with access to services, workforce shortages, limits on the physical capacity of clinics, financing, and operating in silos.
- Innovative approaches are needed to develop a true safety net system.