Lieutenant Governor Lynn Rogers visited Hutchinson this week for a discussion of issues facing healthcare, including Medicaid expansion. The Lieutenant Governor is heading up a statewide effort promoting rural revitalization and healthcare ranks near the top of priorities in the less populated sections of our state. 

Lieutenant Governor Rogers comes to his new position with a vast knowledge of issues facing rural America as the product of a small town in our neighboring state of Nebraska. For nearly two decades, he has worked in the farm credit industry. 

To date, Kansas has left $3 billion on the table by declining these badly needed federal funds set aside to support our hospitals, large and small. These funds were not placed in a lock box, but were distributed to another state or federally funded program far from Kansas. During the past five years, Hutch Regional has missed out on approximately $35 million in federal funds at the same time that Medicare reimbursements were reduced by approximately the same amount. 

Hard working Kansans remit more than $24 billion each year in federal income taxes, so it stands to reason that we should do everything possible to return as many of those dollars to our state as is possible. 

Reno County stands to gain a great deal from Medicaid expansion:

---More than 1,600 un-insured Reno County residents will gain insurance coverage. 

---Nearly $11 million in new healthcare spending will flow into the Reno County economy which will give the local economy an economic boost not seen in a long time while improving the health of our community. 

---Kansans will have access to preventive care to help them stay healthy and avoid costly visits to the hospital’s Emergency Department. Fewer people will have to decide between paying medical bills and putting food on the table to feed their families.

--Forty-four new jobs will be created in Reno County alone, no small figure for a community of our size. 

---The amount of uncompensated care provided by Hutch Regional each year often tops $20 million. Medicaid expansion will reduce that figure by as much as one-third. 

---Medicaid expansion will provide health insurance coverage to many Reno County resident who fall into what is called the coverage gap, which signifies that these workers earn too much to qualify for the current KanCare program, but too little to qualify for financial help to purchase a private plan. 

Sara Collins, Vice President for Health Coverage and Access for the Commonwealth Fund, in a recent speech at the Kansas Statehouse, provided compelling evidence of the success of Medicaid expansion in the 33 states and the District of Columbia that are participating in the program. Nebraska, Utah and Idaho passed ballot initiatives approving Medicaid expansion in the 2018 general election and are expected to join the program later this year. 

Collins’ research reported on success stories from participating states: 

---Michigan, according to Collins, has produced 30,000 new jobs as a result of Medicaid expansion, resulting in $2 billion in the state’s coffers. 

---Colorado attributes Medicaid expansion to an uptick of $3.8 billion in the state’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP). 

---Louisiana reports nearly $200 million in savings to the state’s budget. 

---Hospital Emergency Department visits in participating states is declining. 

---Uncompensated care has declined significantly more in participating states than those that have not. 

---Not a single state has opted to discontinue the program. 

---Sceptics, according to Collins, predicted that recipients of Medicaid expansion dollars might cease employment but research says otherwise. 

---Small businesses that do not provide healthcare benefits are benefiting in states that have expanded Medicaid. 

Hutch Regional has a long standing and special relationship with rural hospitals located in the western regions of our state. Last year, Hutch Regional’s Inpatient Rehab Unit provided treatment to patients from Hays. Patients with cardiovascular issues from Hoxie and Quinter sought treatment in Hutchinson. 

We are hopeful that the 2019 session of the Kansas legislature will pass legislation that allows healthcare organizations, large and small, to participate in this federal program that has benefited millions of Americans throughout our nation, and bring our money back home.  

Ken Johnson is the President and CEO of Hutchinson Regional Healthcare System.