Advocates voice concerns over KanCare proposal / LJWorld.com

Topeka — Several hundred advocates for people with developmental disabilities went to the Statehouse on Tuesday to voice concerns over Gov. Sam Brownback’s plan to privatize Medicaid.

Sharon Spratt, chief executive officer of Cottonwood Inc. in Lawrence, was among those who met briefly with Kansas Department of Aging Secretary Shawn Sullivan to discuss the proposed KanCare program.

Spratt and others have been telling the Brownback administration that long-term supports needed for people with developmental disabilities don’t fit with a private program to manage health care costs.

But Spratt said her arguments didn’t get anywhere with Sullivan.

“They really don’t have specifics of good examples from other states,” she said.

A House committee this week will consider bills that would exempt programs for the developmentally disabled from the managed care proposal and require annual audits and evaluations of KanCare contractors.

BigDog 2 years, 1 month ago

Medicaid already pays significantly less than Medicare ..... and Medicare pays less than what private insurance pays. It is already difficult, in some areas of the state, to find a doctor who will take on new Medicare patients. Even harder to find those who will take Medicaid. Medicare rates are much lower than private insurance pays. Cutting rates further to medical professionals would make many providers drop taking Medicare and Medicaid.

Most of it is on the medical side of the Medicaid system. Hospital costs and general cost of medical care is largest portion, next would be increased costs of care in nursing home care and finally growth in the number of people receiving medical and/or community based services.

So..... what are your answers to the continuing spiralling upward costs of Medicaid? On average the annual increase in spending for Medicaid has been 7.5% per year for the last 10 years. These increases alone on a $2.8 billion Medicaid program is an additional cost of $210 million annually with the state paying roughly $85 million in additional cost each year.

sciencegeek 2 years, 1 month ago

It doesn't matter what the legislature, or anyone else, thinks. Brownback can do whatever he wants to on this, and there's no way to stop him. Just like the Arts Commission.

FalseHopeNoChange 2 years, 1 month ago

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-03-11/greece-s-students-fighting-stray-dogs-and-despair-amid-college-budget-cuts.html

Lenette Hamm 2 years, 1 month ago

They've made their decisions, and unless the legislature stops this ill-advised move in its tracks, it'll go forward. Ms Spratt is correct that Sec. Sullivan cannot come up with good examples from other states. He continues to talk about differences between Kansas and other states that have adopted managed care programs, but he is not comparing apples to apples... If this goes through, there are a lot of people in many populations that will fall through the cracks and just plain get lost. Do you want this for YOUR family members???

Merrill .... Aren't these providers like Cottonwood also private industry? It is funny years ago state employees were opposed to these services, services to seniors and services like foster care going to private business .... now private business is complaining about another private business coming in.

Richard Heckler 2 years, 1 month ago

Koch Insurance Brokers

http://www.kochinsurancebrokers.com/Health-Insurance--Major-Med--.html

Private industry loves our tax dollars. The more tax dollars requested the more Gov Brownback will give them. This is wreckanomics not fiscal responsibility.

Archive for Tuesday, March 13, 2012