Before Kansas officials revealed they had ousted Aetna Better Health as one of the providers for the state’s $4 billion Medicaid program, they destroyed documents that Aetna believes would have helped the company appeal the decision.
Kansans are uninsured at a rate higher than the rest of the country for a third straight year, but the effects of Medicaid “unwinding” have yet to be seen, recent U.S. Census Bureau data shows.
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.
As the dust settles on the state’s bumpy large-scale review of Medicaid eligibility, numbers show approximately 47% of Kansans kicked off of state health insurance coverage are 18 or younger.
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 significant majority of Kansans support expanding Medicaid — including more than half of Republicans — according to the 2023 Kansas Speaks public opinion survey.
Kansas administrators of the Medicaid program estimate 12,000 adults or children eligible for the health coverage program were stripped of benefits due to problems with processing renewals.
After describing long wait times, sluggish mail returns and unprecedented call center volumes, state officials announced — two weeks after their initial update — that they are trying to turn things around in the beleaguered department’s Medicaid renewal 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.
The Kansas Medicaid disenrollment rate is one of the highest in the country. Almost two-thirds of Kansans have lost coverage because of procedural issues.
