Medicaid serves as a crucial source of health insurance coverage for Kansas families, including children, parents, seniors, individuals with disabilities, those in need of behavioral health support, and residents of rural communities. Congressional lawmakers are currently considering $880 billion in cuts to the Medicaid program, which would reduce Medicaid funding and terminate coverage for vulnerable Kansans. According to Manatt Health, Kansas could see up to $347 million in cuts in Medicaid funds in the first year enacted and $3.15 billion over ten years.
David Jordan, President and CEO of United Methodist Health Ministry Fund, says Kansas will lose billions of dollars in Medicaid funding if the proposed cuts are enacted, which will result in the termination of Kansans’ health care coverage and put more hospitals at risk of closure. Medicaid provides health care coverage for over 366,000 Kansans, including nearly 31% of all Kansas children. It also covers 4 in 7 nursing home residents, and 1 in 4 working-age adults with disabilities. Congress could debate these cuts early next week.
