Quarter of a Billion Dollars Left on the Table

Kansas is losing $10.75 a second in federal funding by not expanding Medicaid

(Sept. 29, 2014) - This weekend marked the quarter of a billion dollar mark in the amount of funds that Kansas
has lost due to inaction on Medicaid expansion efforts in our state. The Kansas Hospital Association maintains
a live ticker demonstrating this growing loss in funding at www.kha-net.org. Kansas hospitals believe Kansas
should thoughtfully develop a unique, Kansas-based solution that takes advantage of federal funding to
improve health care coverage in our state.



Expansion in Kansas would build upon our KanCare program, which focuses on primary care coordination,
improving health outcomes, managing health care costs and instituting patient accountability. Kansas hospitals
support expansion because regular patient care improves lives. Many of the 169,000 Kansans who would be
eligible for coverage under expansion work as dishwashers, housekeepers, janitors, landscapers, bus drivers,
child care workers, retail sales people and fast food workers in Kansas communities.

Support for expansion in Kansas is statewide, with more than two-thirds of voters indicating Kansas leaders should accept federal funding (74% vs. 20%) in a poll conducted by the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network. This support crossed all party lines with 59% of Republicans, 75% of Independents and 92% of Democrats in favor of using federal funds to provide health care under Medicaid.

The time is now. Kansas should move forward with a unique, Kansas-based solution that takes advantage of federal funding to improve health care coverage in our state.

The Kansas Hospital Association is a not-for-profit association of health care provider organizations and individuals that are committed to the health improvement of their communities. KHA membership includes 217 member facilities, of which 128 are full-service community hospitals. Founded in 1910, KHA maintains its vision of "an organization of hospitals working together to improve access, quality and the affordability of health care for all Kansans."