Kansas Lawmakers Begin Efforts To Reverse Brownback’s Cuts To Medicaid
The governor last summer reduced funding for KanCare by $56 million. Also, some Iowa residents with disabilities say the new Medicaid managed care plans are cutting the amount of assistance they get, and an effort by Texas to change Medicaid payment rules helps lower the number of early elective births.
KCUR:
Kansas Lawmakers Working To Reverse Brownback Medicaid Cuts
With all of the talk in recent years about Kansas’ budget problems, it can be hard to keep track of what programs have been cut and by how much. So, some Kansans may not remember that last summer Gov. Sam Brownback ordered more than $56 million in cuts to KanCare, the state’s privatized Medicaid program. Including the amount of federal matching funds lost, the cuts amounted to $128 million. Kansas lawmakers remember the cuts, and they are taking steps to reverse them. (McLean, 3/16)
Des Moines Register:
Disabled Iowans Say Medicaid Firms Are Cutting In-Home Help
[James] Campbell, 44, [is] one of nearly 7,400 Iowans with disabilities who use Medicaid’s Consumer Directed Attendant Care program, or CDAC, which pays members of the community to provide everyday assistance that lets recipients continue living in their homes instead of nursing homes. The Long-Term Care Ombudsman’s Office recently reported that reduced hours in the CDAC program are one of the top complaints the agency is hearing about the privatized Medicaid system. (Leys, 3/16)
Kaiser Health News:
Change In Texas Medicaid Payments Helps Cut Number Of Premature Births
Even though the health risks to babies born before they reach full term at 39 weeks have long been recognized, nearly 1 in 10 babies in the United States is born prematurely. Texas decided to try to change that. (Andrews, 3/17)
