Letter to the Editor 2-28-20

Dear editor,
Recent bipartisan collaboration on KanCare legislation has been refreshing to see. Last year, KanCare expansion legislation passed the Kansas House of Representatives. This January, Republicans and Democrats got together and introduced a Kansas solution to expand KanCare in the Kansas Senate.
Right now, approximately 130,000 low-income Kansans need access to affordable health care coverage. Despite having incomes well below poverty level, they earn too much to qualify for KanCare – and yet, by virtue of being below the poverty line, they earn too little to qualify for financial assistance on marketplace insurance. Because they are in the coverage gap, they often go without health care until a serious (and expensive) health crisis occurs. These are hardworking people in our own communities – they are our friends, our neighbors and our families.
KanCare expansion will increase access to preventive care for vulnerable, low-income Kansans. Kansas hospitals will benefit because it ultimately reduces cases of uncompensated care and supports our ability to intervene sooner for better health outcomes. To ensure an effective KanCare program that improves several facets of our state – from our health to our economy – the proposed KanCare legislation includes innovative programs for pathways to work, premium assistance and a rural hospital transformation program.
The expansion legislation also incorporates personal responsibility (beneficiaries will pay a low monthly premium), and it includes a reinsurance program that reduces premiums for plans purchased on the health insurance marketplace. And, as KanCare expansion brings hundreds of millions of federal tax dollars back to the state, it will pave the way for a healthier Kansas.
Recent progress toward KanCare expansion is a result of bipartisan teamwork, something every Kansan should be proud to witness. I encourage you to join the conversation by thanking your elected officials who are in support of expanding KanCare. Let’s continue to put politics aside and do the right thing for our state and local communities.
Tom Bell,
CEO of the Kansas Hospital Association