This could easily be a column about “Kan-Scare,” rather than KanCare because there are so many uncertainties about a sweeping reform program in Kansas that starts Jan.1, 2013, pending final federal approval, that folks could rightly be very concerned about their future medical care.
On that date, Medicaid — medical care for the poor — will cease to exist in Kansas. In its place, the 350,000 Kansans — adults, children, elderly and the disabled — now served by Medicaid will become a part of a private, managed care program called KanCare.
Medicaid in Kansas has been a $3 billion outlay in state and federal funds. But by putting everything into private hands, the Brownback administration is claiming they will reduce expenditures by almost $1 billion over the next five years.
Just how those savings will occur is the big mystery. KanCare was concocted, according to The Wichita Eagle, “behind closed doors.”
It is undeniable Kansas Medicaid costs have been increasing at an unsustainable rate of 7.4 percent per year, way over the inflation rate. So, something dramatic had to happen.
And dramatic things will happen. You don’t cut the budget that much without experiencing some major upheaval.
According to Brownback’s administration, KanCare’s chief aim is to curb growth while improving outcomes.
Are both possible?
According to the proponents of KanCare, one of the primary targets for cost savings will be reducing the numbers of poor residing in nursing homes. The new managed care companies will be taking a hard look at “necessities” of health care, and one conclusion already reached...read more
