Posted on Mar 28, 2023
Families say Kansas Medicaid red tape cuts off kids from the medical equipment they need
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Even when doctors prescribe Kansas Medicaid patients things like wheelchairs, walkers or bath chairs, families can face denials or long waits for medical equipment.
OLATHE, Kansas — It’s a typical Thursday evening in the Hoffman house.
The family hangs out in the living room for a small dance party. Then one of the kids reads a book to 18-month-old Miles.
Neil and Abby Hoffman make sure Miles, who has chronic lung disease and cerebral palsy, joins in with his three siblings while sitting in his positioning chair.
“He has some vision problems,” Neil Hoffman said. “He eats through a G tube (a gastrostomy tube used to deliver food and medication directly to the stomach), has a tracheostomy tube in his throat. (He’s) ventilator dependent. So he’s basically on life support. But he’s doing really well. He’s fighting through it all.”
OLATHE, Kansas — It’s a typical Thursday evening in the Hoffman house.
The family hangs out in the living room for a small dance party. Then one of the kids reads a book to 18-month-old Miles.
Neil and Abby Hoffman make sure Miles, who has chronic lung disease and cerebral palsy, joins in with his three siblings while sitting in his positioning chair.
“He has some vision problems,” Neil Hoffman said. “He eats through a G tube (a gastrostomy tube used to deliver food and medication directly to the stomach), has a tracheostomy tube in his throat. (He’s) ventilator dependent. So he’s basically on life support. But he’s doing really well. He’s fighting through it all.”
Families say Kansas Medicaid red tape cuts off kids from the medical equipment they need
Posted from kcur.org
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Posted 1 y ago
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PO1 William "Chip" Nagel
..."Disability Rights Center of Kansas executive director Rocky Nichols said the issue got worse when Kansas privatized Medicaid 10 years ago and handed over management to insurance companies.
“There’s been a lot more problems,” he said. “It’s a lot more difficult for people with disabilities or parents of kids with disabilities, to frankly get what they need under Medicaid.”
Kansas has three managed care organizations, known as MCOs, that operate KanCare.
Aetna, UnitedHealth and the Centene subsidiary Sunflower all received contracts with the state starting in 2019. Those contracts were automatically renewed last year for two years and won’t expire until the end of 2024.
“The managed care company gets paid upfront,” Nichols said. “So it creates a real problem.”
He said that cuts into incentives to insurers to cover more expenses.
Sheila Simmons operates a sort of stop-gap library of medical equipment in Parsons, Kansas. It checks out items including wheelchairs, crutches and beds."...
..."Disability Rights Center of Kansas executive director Rocky Nichols said the issue got worse when Kansas privatized Medicaid 10 years ago and handed over management to insurance companies.
“There’s been a lot more problems,” he said. “It’s a lot more difficult for people with disabilities or parents of kids with disabilities, to frankly get what they need under Medicaid.”
Kansas has three managed care organizations, known as MCOs, that operate KanCare.
Aetna, UnitedHealth and the Centene subsidiary Sunflower all received contracts with the state starting in 2019. Those contracts were automatically renewed last year for two years and won’t expire until the end of 2024.
“The managed care company gets paid upfront,” Nichols said. “So it creates a real problem.”
He said that cuts into incentives to insurers to cover more expenses.
Sheila Simmons operates a sort of stop-gap library of medical equipment in Parsons, Kansas. It checks out items including wheelchairs, crutches and beds."...
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