Editorials
KanCare conundrum
Jerry Slaughter
Executive Director
It is not surprising that the Brownback administration’s ambitious plan to put virtually all of the sprawling $2.8 billion Medicaid program into three managed care companies (KanCare) has become very contentious and politicized. Policy aside, consider for a moment the over-heated political context.
First, we are in the middle of a very polarizing presidential campaign, the outcome of which will undoubtedly have a huge impact on the future of health care in general, and Medicaid policy in particular. It is not inconsequential that the state must obtain the necessary waivers and approval for its plans from the Obama administration’s health care point person, HHS Secretary (and former democratic Kansas governor) Kathleen Sebelius. Whether she will be inclined to grant a prominent republican governor HHS’ blessing to fundamentally restructure the Medicaid delivery system is, to put it mildly, not a slam dunk.
