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A federal lawsuit alleges that Missouri's dysfunctional system prevents low-income residents from getting food aid. Now that the state is also reassessing the Medicaid eligibility of more than 1 million recipients — and kicking people off the rolls — advocates said those flaws have escalated into a crisis for the most vulnerable.
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In Kansas, the number of severe complications during labor and delivery has increased. For moms of color or women enrolled in Medicaid, the numbers are even higher. One of the state’s Medicaid contractors is now providing doula services to help.
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The number of severe complications during labor and delivery has increased for Kansas moms. For moms of color or women enrolled in Medicaid, complications are even more common. One of the state’s Medicaid contractors is now covering doula services as a way to help.
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Beginning in the new year, patients 18 and under who enroll in Missouri's insurance programs for low-income people will not be removed for 12 months. Missouri was one of the few U.S. states that did not offer guaranteed yearlong coverage.
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The United States has a patchwork system of long-term medical care that usually leaves elderly people and their families footing most of the bill. Medicaid can cover much of the cost, but in Kansas and Missouri, seniors and people with disabilities have to earn below the poverty level and have less than $2,000 in assets before they can qualify for Medicaid.
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Three years after the Missouri Supreme Court overwhelmingly ruled that the Missouri legislature must pay Planned Parenthood for treating Medicaid patients, the issue is back before the high court because lawmakers again attempted to strip the organization's funding.
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Kids made up almost half of Missouri residents disenrolled from Medicaid since renewals resumed this year, even though children are eligible for coverage at higher levels than adults. And paperwork issues are the main reason most Missourians are dropped — not lack of eligibility.
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States were banned from removing people from Medicaid during the COVID-19 public health emergency unless a person moved, died or asked to be taken off. Now that the pandemic has been declared over, Missouri and Kansas have resumed checking eligibility — and the process has not been going well.
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For five years, the Republican-controlled legislature has thwarted Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly's efforts to pass Medicaid expansion, which is overwhelmingly supported by Kansas voters. Kelly is pushing for it once again in the upcoming legislative session, and she hopes it will become a major issue for the 2024 elections.
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Around 70% of Kansans said they support or strongly support expanding Medicaid, according to a new poll from Fort Hays State University, including nearly 55% of Republicans.
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Kansans unnecessarily lost Medicaid eligibility because of confusion over signatures, slow mail delivery and a lack of clear communication from the state. Some 12,000 adults or children eligible for the health coverage program were stripped of benefits due to processing issues.
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The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services said more than two-dozen states, including Kansas, failed to conduct renewal assessments properly and consequently disenrolled too many people. Officials say that Medicaid expansion — which GOP lawmakers in Kansas have repeatedly blocked — would have protected some of the patients.