Not surprisingly, health care matters dominated a town hall meeting led by Kansas Congressman Roger Marshall at Newman Regional Health on Saturday.
A small group quizzed Marshall on matters like hospital funds, disability policy and mental health funding. Marshall says health care is now one of the most talked-about topics whenever he meets with the public.
On the hospital funding side, Newman Regional Health Chief Executive Officer Bob Wright mentioned concerns about what he called an unsustainable reimbursement model through the Critical Access system, with Medicare not meeting hospital costs with its reimbursements and Medicaid covering close to variable costs but not covering overhead. Newman Regional Health went to the Critical Access repayment model several years ago after using the prospective payer method for years, and it’s now the largest Critical Access hospital in Kansas. Wright urged Marshall to maintain a 340B program, which also reimburses hospitals for certain services rendered. Marshall says he’ll fight for that and continue work to add ways to reduce costs.
Marshall also says Congress has appropriated $10 billion in new funds for mental health over the past year with another $5 billion to $7 billion approved to battle the growing opioid crisis. His concern is making sure the extra money goes to programs at the state level that can help the people that need them.
Marshall is considered a potential frontrunner for the US Senate seat that is opening up when longtime lawmaker Pat Roberts retires at the end of his current term. Marshall says he’s not ready to make a decision just yet, even though his wife and other family members have given their blessing to a possible Senate bid.
After his stop in Emporia, Marshall headed to Greenwood County for activities organized by the Kansas Livestock Association.