KanCare changes leave seniors struggling to get, keep Medicaid coverage

Advocates for elderly Kansans say a number of changes the state made to streamline the Medicaid application and renewal process have actually created a maze that seniors are getting lost in.

In 2015, Kansas moved to a new computer system for applying for Kansas Medicaid, or KanCare. Then it funneled applications and annual reviews that used to be handled in regional offices into a single “KanCare Clearinghouse” in Topeka. It contracted with a company called Maximus to staff the Clearinghouse starting in 2016.

Since then the number of seniors covered by KanCare for in-home nursing help has gone down and so has the number being covered for nursing home beds. Meanwhile, the state’s population has been aging. Dan Goodman, the director of the Johnson County Area Agency on Aging, said it just doesn’t add up unless there’s a problem with the system.

“Some seniors are really having a tough time getting onto Medicaid,” Goodman said. “They get frustrated, are in poor or declining health, become defeated by the process and give up.”

Read more here: http://www.kansascity.com/news/business/health-care/article201430364.html