Expanding Medicaid (KanCare)
I believe that the expansion of Medicaid should not be a political issue. When people don’t receive preventative and managed healthcare their health issues will continue to grow. Resulting adverse effects may further reduce quality of life and may require additional treatments that possibly could have been avoided. Generally the costs of services incurred by uninsured patients is absorbed and passed onto everyone. Monies received from Medicaid coverage will reduce the overall cost of healthcare for all.
The expansion of Medicaid would lead to new jobs across the state. It would provide vital services to the disabled who are not currently covered by Medicaid or Medicare, while returning over $6 billion dollars of taxpayer money directly to the State of Kansas. Two-thirds of those eligible for Medicaid expansion work or come from working families, and over 150,000 people across the state (over 400 from Miami County alone) would benefit from Medicaid coverage. Income earning limits that are in place at this time will change to allow citizens to get better paying jobs or work longer hours.
In November 2023, Public Opinion Strategies, on behalf of Kansas Sunflower Foundation, conducted two polls regarding the expansion of Medicaid. The results found that 68% of registered voters, 51% of Republican primary voters, and 83% of small business owners found Medicaid expansion worthwhile. It is a win-win for the State of Kansas and, most of all, the program would continue to serve our neighbors that are in the greatest of need.