Join Us in Achieving Medicaid Expansion in Kansas and Missouri
38 states have expanded Medicaid as of Aug. 5, 2020. Missouri is proudly added! (click on image to enlarge)
The Kansas City Medical Society and the Kansas City Medical Society Foundation support Medicaid expansion in Kansas and Missouri.
Legislative Alert: The Missouri House of Representatives on April 1 passed a state budget for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2021, that denies funding for the Medicaid expansion that was passed by 53% of voters in August 2020. The Senate now is considering the budget. Please contact your Missouri state senator and ask them to restore the Medicaid expansion funding that was approved by voters. Learn more and see a list of Kansas City-area state senators and members of the Senate Appropriations Committee.
Thank you for your support of Missouri Amendment 2 in August 2020 enabling Medicaid expansion. Expansion is now being implemented in Missouri, set to take effect July 1, 2021. Missouri Gov. Mike Parson’s budget for the fiscal year beginning July 1 includes full funding for expansion. Advocates are monitoring the process to ensure that expansion is implemented in a fair and equitable way.
In Kansas, facing strong resistance to Medicaid expansion in the legislature, Gov. Laura Kelly announced on February 1 a proposal to fund Medicaid expansion with proceeds from legalization of “medical” marijuana. The Kansas City Medical Society and the KCMS Foundation support expansion, but are not taking a position on Gov. Kelly’s proposal.
Webinar Series
To help keep you informed about expansion, tune in to our Medicaid Expansion Update webinar series … the second Thursday of every month from 6:00 to 6:45 p.m. from now through August. Each month, we will take an in-depth look at aspects of expansion ranging from the economic impact to tips on being an effective advocate. Our next webinar will be Thursday, May 13, on “All About the Money:The Economic Impact of Medicaid Expansion in Kansas and Missouri.” Learn more and register
If you are not already on our Medicaid expansion supporter email list, you can enroll as a supporter and receive regular updates on the progress of advocacy in Kansas and implementation in Missouri.
Resource Links
Kansas
- (NEW) Medicaid Expansion and Main Street: Projected Effects of Expanding Kancare on Kansas Employers (Kansas Health Institute, April 2021). Private-sector employers would save an estimated $39.6 million to $80.6 million per year on contributions to employer-sponsored health plan premiums and reduced tax penalties, if Medicaid were expanded in Kansas.
- Who Could Medicaid Reach with Expansion in Kansas? (fact sheet from the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation)
- What Kansas Can Learn from Medicaid Expansion in Other States (Kansas Health Institute Report, June 2019)
- Additional resources from Alliance for a Healthy Kansas
Missouri
- (NEW) Medicaid Expansion Saves State General Revenue in FY 2022 (Missouri Budget Project – March 2, 2021). With the help of incentives in the 2020 and 2021 federal stimulus bills, health services that now are paid in full or in part by Missouri general revenue would be transferred to the 90% federal share under expansion. This would yield budget savings for Missouri in the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2021.
- Medicaid Expansion in Missouri (Missouri Foundation for Health, January 2020). This issue brief provides a comprehensive case for Medicaid expansion.
- Analysis of the Fiscal Impact of Medicaid Expansion in Missouri (Washington University 2019). Missouri could save $930 million annually by 2024 with Medicaid expansion.
General
- The Coverage Gap: Uninsured Poor Adults in States That Do Not Expand Medicaid (issue brief from the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation)
- Medicaid Expansion Fills Gaps in Maternal Health Coverage Leading to Healthier Mothers and Babies (Georgetown University Health Policy Institute report)