Related Entries

April 29, 2021 | POLICY & RESEARCH

Medicaid and CHIP Enrollment Growth During the COVID-19 Pandemic (April 2021)

Enrollment in KanCare has risen since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Data suggest that this increase in enrollment has been driven primarily by the state’s decision, in response to federal incentives, to continue eligibility for KanCare enrollees throughout the pandemic. However, even with the increase in enrollment, this continuing coverage policy has reduced overall state KanCare costs due to an increase in the federal match rate. This issue brief provides an overview of how the COVID-19 pandemic and related policy response has affected enrollment in KanCare and how it may continue to do so in the future.

April 19, 2021 | POLICY & RESEARCH

Medicaid Expansion and Main Street (April 2021)

The potential effects of Medicaid expansion on businesses in Kansas is a relatively under-addressed question. While other studies have looked at the macroeconomic effects of expansion – for example on tax revenues and state economies – no study has examined potential effects on industries and businesses in Kansas as employers. This report estimates that employees switching to Medicaid from employer-sponsored insurance would save private-sector employers in Kansas between $39.6 million and $80.6 million per year. Employers could experience non-financial effects of Medicaid expansion as well, including a healthier workforce. This report was prepared by the Kansas Health Institute for the Alliance for a Healthy Kansas.

February 11, 2021 | POLICY & RESEARCH

Medicaid Expansion Bill Tracker (February 2021)

On February 1, Governor Laura Kelly announced a new proposal to expand eligibility for Medicaid in Kansas as allowed under the Affordable Care Act. The proposal builds on previous legislation to expand the program but creates a new funding mechanism for the state share of expansion: revenues from the legalization of medical marijuana. This new table summarizes the main policy elements of previously proposed legislation to expand Medicaid in Kansas, and how those provisions relate to the new proposal announced by the Governor.

February 10, 2021 | POLICY & RESEARCH

Medicaid Expansion Estimates and the Effects of COVID-19 (February 2021)

With the passage of ballot initiatives in 2020, Missouri and Oklahoma joined Nebraska and Colorado to completely surround Kansas with states that have already expanded or will soon expand Medicaid coverage to low-income adults under the terms of the Affordable Care Act. That changing landscape, combined with a new federal administration and the lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, is likely to influence debate over Medicaid expansion in Kansas in 2021. This issue brief updates previous Kansas Health Institute estimates of the impact a potential expansion of Medicaid would have on KanCare enrollment and costs.

January 05, 2021 | POLICY & RESEARCH

ICYMI: Legislative Health Policy Orientation (January 5 & 7, 2021)

The Kansas Health Institute offered two virtual orientations to review important health policy topics for legislators as they started the 2021 legislative session. The slides and video recordings of the sessions are available on our website.

October 30, 2020 | POLICY & RESEARCH

Infographic: Health Insurance in Kansas 2019 (October 2020)

Health insurance is considered essential to access high-quality health care and offers protection from excessive medical bills. Throughout the year, the Kansas Health Institute (KHI) provides detailed information about insurance coverage in Kansas to enrich ongoing discussion of health coverage options in Kansas and on the national level. This infographic provides a high-level overview of insurance coverage for 2,872,404 Kansans in 2019, prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.

August 03, 2020 | POLICY & RESEARCH

Annual Insurance Update 2020 (August 2020)

In the United States, health insurance coverage is often tied to employment. Before COVID-19 affected the Kansas economy, employment-based insurance was the most common source of coverage. Now, many Kansans have lost their jobs and possibly their health insurance coverage. Understanding the insurance landscape in Kansas prior to COVID-19 might help anticipate what changes in coverage are on the horizon. Learn more in our new report, Annual Insurance Update 2020: Health Insurance in Kansas.

March 05, 2020 | POLICY & RESEARCH

A Kansas Twist: What Would Repeal of the ACA Look Like in Kansas? (January 2020, updated March 2020)

On December 18, 2019, three judges from the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans issued a decision in the case of Texas v. United States (Texas) and held that the Affordable Care Act (ACA) individual mandate is unconstitutional. The courts are now further considering that question and also the much broader question of whether the entire ACA should be declared unconstitutional.

February 28, 2020 | POLICY & RESEARCH

Insurance Coverage in the Medicaid Expansion Target Population (February 2020)

According to the latest data from the U.S. Census Bureau, more than a quarter (28.1 percent) of the Medicaid expansion target population is uninsured. Where do the rest obtain insurance? Which counties have the highest uninsured rate and number of Kansas adults potentially eligible for Medicaid, if expanded? How did these low-income adults fare in your county? Find the answers to these and other questions in our latest fact sheet, Insurance Coverage in the Medicaid Expansion Target Population.

February 20, 2020 | POLICY & RESEARCH

Medicaid and Social Needs (February 2020)

Many state Medicaid agencies and managed care organizations (MCO) are seeking to improve health outcomes and reduce per person health care spending through interventions that address social needs faced by enrollees. In implementing these interventions, states and MCOs are recognizing that many factors beyond medical care contribute to health outcomes, including social circumstances and environment. How are KanCare MCOs addressing social needs? What is being done in other states? What challenges do Medicaid programs face when implementing interventions? Find the answers to these questions and more in our latest brief.

Tags