Advocates for seniors in Kansas say that several changes made to streamline the Medicaid application and renewal process have actually made it more difficult for the state’s elderly population.
Kansas moved to a new computer system in 2015 for applying for Kansas Medicaid, otherwise known as KanCare. The state then funneled applications and annual reviews previously handed in regional offices into a single “KanCare Clearinghouse” in Topeka.
Since then, the number of seniors covered by KanCare for in-home nursing help has decreased, as well as the number being covered for nursing home beds.
Some seniors are really having a tough time getting onto Medicaid. They get frustrated, are in poor or declining health, become defeated by the process and give up according to a Kansas Area Agency on Aging representative.
State spokeswoman Angela de Rocha said there are other factors behind the decrease in seniors on Medicaid, including an increase in those being served by another government program that gives alternatives to nursing homes.
