The Health Fund and 48 other state organizations sent a letter to Governor Kelly today urging her to protect Medicaid and veto the continuous eligibility proviso included in the state budget. 

The proviso will force the state to pay an additional $3-4 million in administrative costs annually, add unnecessary red tape for providers and families, and terminate coverage for hardworking, low-income parents.

The current system is more effective, with parents and caregivers for children with incomes below 38% of the federal poverty level receiving 12-month continuous coverage through Medicaid. The proviso included in the budget would remove the 12-month continuous coverage for this group. More than 38,500 hardworking Kansans would be impacted by such a policy change.

This change will affect the most vulnerable Kansans who live well below the poverty line, making it more time consuming and burdensome. The constant dis-enrollment and re-enrollment of beneficiaries is burdensome for everyone and could prevent families from receiving the necessary care they need. The annual household income for a parent to qualify for this 12-month continuous coverage cannot exceed $11,856 for a family of four.

Ending this continuous coverage, which has been in place since 2010 in Kansas, will harm Kansas families. It will cause parents and their children to lose needed coverage, increase costs for the state, and reduce needed revenue for health care providers. 

Signers of the letter include provider groups like Community Care Network of Kansas and the Association of Community Mental Health Centers of Kansas, advocacy groups like the Alliance for Healthy Kansas and Kansas Action for Children, patient groups like the American Heart Association and American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, and foundations like REACH Healthcare Foundation and the United Methodist Health Ministry Fund.

To view the full letter and signers, click here.

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