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For Immediate Release:
January 30, 2024
Contact:
Grace Hoge
[email protected]
ICYMI: Rural Kansans Know the Importance of Medicaid Expansion
KEY QUOTE: “Rural Kansas communities are critical to the future of our state. We know that for our communities to thrive, rural Kansans require core services to raise a family — access to early childhood services, high quality education and health care.”
- To better understand rural Kansans’ concerns and ideas, late last year [Thrive Kansas and United Methodist Health Ministry Fund] hosted community conversations on the future of rural health care and Medicaid expansion in Atchison, Dodge City, Colby, Hays and Pittsburg.
- The top issue raised was Medicaid expansion. Meeting attendees expressed frustration that many of their working neighbors are uninsured. They recognized that one reason for this is because Kansas has not expanded Medicaid and that by not participating in this program, the state is contributing to higher uninsured rates in Kansas’ rural counties.
- Expanding Medicaid would increase eligibility for health care from $9,446 to $34,307 yearly income for a family of three and help provide access to health coverage to an estimated 150,000 residents.
- Kansans know that more uninsured Kansans means more unpaid bills for providers. When patients can’t pay for care, it is categorized as uncompensated care. When providers have uncompensated care, it challenges their ability to remain financially viable and also means that we all — individuals, families, businesses — end up paying more for health care. In rural Kansas, it also means increased local taxes.
- With increasing rates of uninsured residents and high levels of uncompensated care, Kansas has 59 financially vulnerable hospitals, more than any other state. In Kansas, 44% of the uncompensated care at rural critical access hospitals could be eliminated if we expanded Medicaid.
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