Noah Taborda, Kansas Reflector
photo by: Associated Press
Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly speaks during a news conference, Tuesday, Feb. 9, 2021, at the Statehouse in Topeka.
TOPEKA — New estimates of how many Kansans could gain coverage through Medicaid expansion are down from previous years, but researchers for the Kansas Health Institute say this is not surprising given the uncertainty of income throughout the year.
The 2021 estimates by KHI indicate 126,000 Kansans, including nearly 88,000 adults, would newly enroll in KanCare, the state’s privatized version of Medicaid, if the program were expanded. Estimates use data compiled before COVID-19 and assume implementation on Jan. 1, 2022.
The new figure is a drop-off from the 2020 estimate of 132,000 new enrollees, but Phillip Steiner, an analyst with KHI, said both federal policymaking and the program review process could be accounting for the lower number. More Kansans may be lacking coverage at certain times than others, he said.