More than 100,000 Kansans have lost health care coverage through the state’s Medicaid program since April 2023 after the rocky “unwinding” of pandemic-era protections, but the agency in charge of the review has seen progress recently based on incremental changes.
KanCare, Kansas’ Medicaid program, will cover doula services for its pregnant beneficiaries beginning July 1. The Kansas Department of Health and Environment said the policy change aims to improve maternal health outcomes in Kansas.
Kansas is close to determining who will remain eligible for Medicaid after months of glitches and ongoing confusion over how to reapply. Current estimates suggest thousands of Kansans will be removed from the system.
A Kansas advocacy organization said state records indicated children comprised two-thirds of the 45,000 people who have lost Medicaid coverage for procedural reasons since the restart in April of eligibility assessments halted during the COVID-19 emergency.
Thousands of Kansans are at risk of losing Medicaid coverage as the state begins reviewing who still qualifies after a three-year pause. Experts and health care advocates advise people on how to best prepare.
Kansas mothers now have health care coverage under KanCare up to 12 months post-delivery, and retroactive to April 1, Gov. Laura Kelly announced Tuesday.
Medicaid inspector general Steven Anderson concluded Wednesday that the Kansas Department of Health and Environment lacked “an effective system for tracking” beneficiaries in KanCare, the state’s Medicaid program.
