TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas officials are proposing a new version of the state’s privatized Medicaid program that would require about 12,000 adults to work.
The proposal was unveiled Friday as the state considers changes to a program that serves more than 400,000 residents.
Kansas currently has no work requirement for Medicaid recipients and it would be the first state in the country to do so.
Gov. Sam Brownback’s administration says requiring some people to work will improve their lives. Officials note that of the 12,000 people that would be affected, most already are required to work because they receive welfare assistance.
Advocates for Medicaid recipients say work requirements are illegal and were not allowed before President Donald Trump’s administration.
The proposal must be approved by the federal government.
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TOPEKA – Secretaries for the Kansas Department for Health and Environment (KDHE) and the Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services Friday unveiled details of the new KanCare 2.0 waiver proposal that will be posted for 30 days of public comment.
The proposed new KanCare waiver is available for public review on the KanCare website (www.KanCare.ks.gov). Hard copies will be available for review on request at the agencies, located at 1000 SW Jackson St., Topeka and 503 S Kansas Ave., Topeka.
Lt. Governor Jeff Colyer, who helped craft KanCare 2.0, had this to say:
“Since its launch in 2013, KanCare has become an example of how states can simplify their Medicaid programs while providing higher quality health care to those in need. In the years since the launch we have saved over a billion dollars while increasing services and improving health outcomes.
“In the construction of KanCare 2.0 we listened closely to the voices of stakeholders and citizens in our effort to make KanCare even stronger. KanCare 2.0 builds on the successes we’ve had in the past in order to continue serving our most vulnerable citizens, assisting them with services that benefit their physical health and improve their quality of life.”
KDHE Secretary Dr. Susan Mosier said, “The goal for KanCare 2.0 is to help Kansans achieve healthier, more independent lives by providing services and supports for social determinants of health and social determinants of independence in addition to traditional Medicaid benefits.”
“KanCare 2.0 is designed to improve our ability to provide behavioral health care and treatment to members, and offer disability waiver participants enhanced care coordination and competitive employment opportunities,” KDADS Secretary Tim Keck said.
Programs that address social determinants of health are designed to work across all Medicaid populations and individuals. KanCare members who participate in these programs may benefit from:
• Resources for helping participants meet daily needs (e.g., safe housing and local food markets)
• Access to higher quality education and employment opportunities
• Access to health care and services
• Access to community recreational and leisure-time activities
• Transportation options
The programs above may be used to address social determinants of independence by developing personal plans that are tailored to an individual’s goals for self-reliance. These plans may assist a person with:
• Achieving career goals
• Having a more stable home environment
• Becoming an active, contributing part of their community
• Having more opportunities to develop social and emotional connections with others
What KanCare 2.0 will do:
• Continue to provide and advance comprehensive, integrated, whole-person care through the full spectrum of health, including the social determinants of health and independence.
• Improve care coordination by requiring MCOs to contract with local entities to perform community service activities, while expanding reimbursed services to further support members.
• Invest in supported, competitive employment to help members meet their life goals. KanCare 2.0 offers voluntary work opportunities and supports for KanCare members who wish to and are able to work, with a requirement for able-bodied adults to work (with a broad range of exceptions).
• Integrate social determinants of health and independence by developing detailed care plans to provide whole-person care that addresses not only clinical needs but also supports housing assistance, educational attainment, employment opportunities and building stronger families and communities.
• KanCare 2.0 will continue to incorporate some of the leading healthcare innovations into the program, such as telehealth, to provide a high-quality system for members.