By Jim McLean

KHI News Service

WASHINGTON, D.C. — A national reporter who covered the congressional debate on the Affordable Care Act and its up-and-down rollout is coming to Kansas to share her observations.

Sarah Kliff, who covered health issues for Politico and the Washington Post before moving recently to Vox.com, is scheduled to speak at 3:30 p.m. Wednesday in Wichita as part of the Sunflower Foundation’s Advocacy in Health Speaker Series.
The event, scheduled for the Hotel at Old Town, is free and open to the public. However, because space is limited, the foundation is asking that people interested in attending register online.

After her remarks, Kliff will answer questions from a panel of Kansas health care experts and from members of the audience. Kevin Strecker, senior administrator for Via Christi Hospital on St. Teresa, Cathy Harding, executive director of the Kansas Association of Medically Underserved, and Linda Sheppard, director of health care policy and analysis at the Kansas Insurance Department, are scheduled to participate on the panel.

With the first enrollment period over and more than 8 million Americans signed up for health coverage, the next big test for the health reform law will be whether people are satisfied with their coverage, Kliff said.

That’s an open question because most Americans who purchased coverage through federal and state Obamacare exchanges selected plans that require relatively high out-of-pocket costs in the form of deductibles, co-pays and co-insurance.

“So, I think there is the potential for a lot of confusion and a lot of surprises from people who thought, ‘Hey, I have health insurance. How did I end up spending $5,000 out-of-pocket?’” Kliff said.

If there are “a lot of horror stories,” she said, opponents of the ACA likely will use them to continue their attempts to undermine if not repeal the law. However, if people are generally satisfied with their coverage, it could take some steam out of the anti-Obamacare movement, Kliff said.

“It (the movement) could face some challenges if people realize they like the health insurance that they have gained,” she said.

Prior to the public event, Kliff will speak to participants in the Sunflower Advocacy Fellowship program.