(Feb. 3, 2023) – Last week, the Kansas Health Institute published a report confirming the benefits of KanCare expansion on the behavioral health system and how expanding coverage could provide other benefits for Kansas families and communities.
This report was prepared for the Alliance for a Healthy Kansas through a contract with the Community Care Network of Kansas. The study confirms the direct financial impact expansion would have on the behavioral health system, as well as indirect benefits, including:
- A reduction in the number of children entering the Kansas foster care system each year
- Fewer arrests and re-arrests in the criminal justice system
- An increase in the number of mental health care providers serving Medicaid patients
KHI highlights the following key findings:
- Of the 108,800 adults expected to newly enroll in Medicaid if expanded, an estimated 24,154 are likely to use behavioral health services once enrolled
- Medicaid expansion is estimated to increase annual revenues for behavioral health providers from Medicaid claims by $87.1 million, a net revenue increase of $62.6 million
- Federally-qualified health centers in expansion states had average increases of 1,500 visits overall and 1,000 mental health visits per year as compared to non-expansion states
- Medicaid expansion has been associated with fewer arrests and reduced rates of rearrest. A reduction in arrests may lead to reduced spending at county jails in Kansas and reduced incarceration in the criminal justice system
- Medicaid expansion states experienced a 32.0 percent reduction in foster care admissions related to neglect as compared to non-expansion states. Applying the reduced rate experienced in expansion states to 2022 Kansas foster care data equates to an estimated 305 fewer children entering the foster care system in Kansas because of neglect.
The Kansas Hospital Association is one of more than 125 members of the Alliance for a Healthy Kansas coalition. Individuals in support of KanCare expansion can sign the petition and reach out to legislators to let them know how important expansion is to them.
--Cindy Samuelson