The Emporia City Commission’s decision Wednesday to request Medicaid expansion statewide isn’t happening in a vacuum.
Before the City Commission vote, Kansas Governor Laura Kelly unveiled a list of over 100 Kansas hospital, clinic and mental health executives announcing their support for Medicaid expansion. On the list is CrossWinds Counseling and Wellness CEO Amanda Cunningham:
Also on the list locally is Newman Regional Health CEO Cathy Pimple. In a statement released to KVOE News, Pimple said uninsured residents are typically less likely to get the medical care they need, so they go to the emergency room and the hospital has to foot the bill. For Newman Regional Health, the total “uncompensated care” was almost $8 million last year. Pimple says it’s important “to preserve essential care in our rural communities to make certain one’s ZIP code does not determine the level of care they receive.”
Several other area executives have signed their support, including:
*Sandra Dickerson, Greenwood County Hospital CEO
*Nancy McKenzie, Greenwood County Hospital physician’s assistant
*Kevin Kepley, Morris County Hospital Chief Nursing Officer
*Kevin Leeper, Morris County Hospital CEO
*Sharon Haun, Council Grove City Council
*Joe Buchanan, USD 417 Morris County
Detractors in the Kansas Legislature believe Medicaid expansion, among other things, will lead to more dependence on government for services and expansion will create unsustainable costs for the state’s budget to handle.
Statement from Newman Regional Health CEO Cathy Pimple
We are thankful our elected city officials and staff are united with us in wanting a healthier Emporia. We appreciate their 2024 legislative policy statement and recent efforts through Resolution 3721, which supports the expansion of Medicaid in Kansas.
Medicaid expansion is one component of a comprehensive set of solutions to rural health challenges including shrinking populations, difficulty with workforce recruitment and retention, and uncompensated care.
Being uninsured presents challenges for individuals across our state. Uninsured Kansans are less likely to access the care they need and end up in the emergency room. The hospital often must cover the bill under what we call “uncompensated care.” Last year alone NRH provided $7,915,306.00 of uncompensated care to the most vulnerable members of our community. While this impacts all Kansas hospitals, it is more pronounced in rural communities.
We need to take steps forward to preserve essential care in rural communities to make certain one’s zip code does not determine the level of care that they receive.
Letter to Kansas legislators with list of endorsers
January 16, 2024
To the Kansas State Legislature:
As health care providers in rural Kansas, we are thankful that our elected officials are united with us in wanting a healthier Kansas. You share our concerns about how health care workforce challenges, uninsured rates and prior authorization issues are impacting Kansans, and particularly those in rural communities who have worse health outcomes than their urban counterparts. You have watched as Kansas has slipped from an all-time high ranking of 8th in 1991, to an all-time low ranking of 31st in the country according to America’s Health Rankings. And, perhaps you’ve wondered if the district you represent will be the next district impacted by the loss of a health care provider or hospital closure.
We write to you today because we also are in agreement that there is no silver bullet to the challenges rural providers face. This upcoming session, we encourage you to look at a comprehensive set of solutions to these problems including shrinking populations, difficulty with workforce recruitment and retention, and uncompensated care. But there is one immediate step you can take to support access to care, retain health care workers and extend health insurance to more Kansans: expanding Medicaid.
Medicaid is a state and federal health insurance program that helps with medical expenses for people who can’t afford them. Right now in Kansas, a single mother of two has to make less than $9,500 per year to qualify. Full time, minimum wage workers make too much to qualify but often don’t receive health insurance through their employer and can’t afford coverage on the exchange – resulting in a “health coverage gap” for Kansans working in fast food, retail and similar industries.
There are many reasons it’s harmful for so many Kansans to be uninsured, including those dedicated to providing health care in communities across our state. Uninsured Kansans are less likely to get access to the care they need, and if they end up in the emergency room, the hospital often has to cover the bill – what we call “uncompensated care.” To address this, the federal government now offers states funding to expand Medicaid to people in that coverage gap. It’s a great opportunity. The federal government covers 90 percent of the costs, the states cover 10 percent. Because Kansas hasn’t taken advantage of this opportunity, our federal tax dollars are going to support hospitals and health care providers in other states instead of right here at home. Estimates suggest expansion would create roughly 23,000 jobs in Kansas, spur $591.7 million in new annual health care spending in Kansas and decrease uncompensated care costs.
It is true that Medicaid expansion would not solve every problem we face, but it would be a significant step forward for preserving essential care in rural communities. Nationwide, rural hospitals are six times more likely to close in states that haven’t expanded Medicaid. Hospitals and providers would be able to afford to recruit and retain more doctors and nurses if Medicaid was expanded. And, rural Kansans would be more likely to get the preventative care they need, resulting in healthier communities all around.
We know better than anyone that the issues rural health care providers face are real and will require all hands on deck to solve. The time is now for leaders to step up to ensure the sustainability of rural health care. Giving up on rural Kansas is not an option. We, the signers below, encourage legislators to take a step to support a healthier Kansas this legislative session by expanding Medicaid. Our family, friends and your constituents expect and depend on this.
Signed,
*Stephen “Stevie” Durkin, CEO, Atchison Community Health Clinic, Inc., Atchison
*Mary Jane Dowler, Executive Director, Iroquois Center for Human Development, Greensburg
*Michael T. Countryman, CEO, South Central Mental Health Counseling Center, Augusta
*Robbin Cole, CEO, Pawnee Mental Health Services, Manhattan
*Glenna Phillips, Executive Director, Central Kansas Mental Health Center, Salina
*Heather Spaur, Executive Director, Crawford County Mental Health Center, Pittsburg
*Randy Callstrom, CEO, Wyandot Behavioral Health Network, Kansas City
*Matthew Atteberry, Executive Director, Labette Center for Mental Health Services, Parsons
*Debra Pochop, CEO, Rawlins County Dental Clinic, Atwood
*Amy Falk, CEO, Health Partnership Clinic, Inc., Olathe, Paola and Ottawa
*Elizabeth Keever, CDO, Heartland Community Health Center, Lawrence
*David Brazil, CEO, Community Health Center in Cowley County, Inc., Winfield
*Teresa Lovelady, President & CEO, HealthCore Clinic Inc, Wichita
*Dan Duling, VP Community Partnerships, Community Health Center Southeast Kansas, Pittsburg
*Jennifer Miller FNP-BC, APRN, Family Nurse Practitioner, Health Partnership, Ottawa
*Jessica Nichols, Family Nurse Practitioner, Health Partnership Clinic, Olathe
*Emily Bush, Pediatrician, Health Partnership Clinic, Olathe
*Nader Rastgoftar, Dental Director / Dentist, Health Partnership Clinic, Olathe
*Edward Herrman, President & CEO, HaysMed, Ellis
*Lisa Brooks, CEO, Comanche County Hospital, Comanche
*Dennis Franks, CEO, Neosho Memorial Regional Medical Center, Neosho
*Sarah Teaff, PhD, FACHE, CEO, Patterson Health Center, Harper
*Paul Luce, Administrator, The University of Kansas Health System, Miami
*Jimmie Hansel, CEO, Edwards County Medical Center, Edwards
*Craig Loveless, CEO, Goodland Regional Medical Center and Rawlins County Health Center, Sherman and Rawlins
*Kevin Leeper, CEO, Morris County Hospital, Morris
*Lewis Newberrry, President & CEO, McPherson Hospital, McPherson
*Shae Veach, VP fpr Regional Operations, HaysMed, Ellis
*Doyle McKimmy, CEO, Jewell County Hospital, Jewell
*Kevin Kepley, MBA, BSN, RN, CNO, Morris County Hospital, Morris
*David McCorkle, CEO, Citizens Health, Colby
*Teresa Clark, RN- CEO, Wichita County Health Center, Wichita
*Kevin Faughnder, CEO, Norton County Hospital, Norton
*Robert Kenagy, MD, President & CEO, Stormont Vail Health, Topeka
*Debbie Bruner, CEO, Minneola Healthcare, Clark
*Tara Overmiller, CEO, Phillps County Health Systems, Phillips
*Jeremy Clingenpeel, CEO, Cheyenne County Hospital, Cheyenne
*Aaron Kuehn, CEO, Ness County Hospital District #2, Ness
*Kevin Strecker, Senior VP, Ministry Market Executive, Ascension Via Christi, Sedgwick
*Kiley Floyd, CEO, Nemaha Valley Community Hospital, Nemaha
*Claudio Ferraro, President, Ascension Via Christi St. Joseph, Sedgwick
*Laurie Labarca, President, Ascension Via Christi St. Teresa, Sedgwick
*Bob Copple, President, Ascension Via Christi Hospital Manhattan,
*Riley Joy Scott, President, Ascension Via Christi St. Francis, Sedgwick
*Brian Howells, Hospital Administrator, Wamego Health Center, Pottawatomie
*Russ Johnson, President & CEO, LMH Health, Douglas
*Ashley Taylor, CEO, Medicine Lodge, Barber
*Sharon Haun, Councilmember, Grove City Council, Morris
*Drew Talbott, President, Ascension Via Christi Hospital Pittsburg, Crawford
*Sam Huenergardt, President & CEO, AdventHealth Mid-America Regional & AdventHealth Shawnee Mission, Johnson
*Alan Verrill, MD, President & CEO, AdventHealth South Overland Park, Johnson
*Dallas Purkeypile, President & CEO, AdventHealth Ottawa, Franklin
*Joe Buchanan, USD 417, Morris
*Emily Dilley, CEO, Kearny County Hospital, Kearny
*Marley Koons, CFO, Kearny County Hospital, Kearny
*Robin Allaman, CNO, Kearny County Hospital, Kearny
*Drew Miller, MD, Chief of Staff, Kearny County Hospital, Kearny
*Bob Page, President & CEO, The University of Kansas Health System, Wyandotte
*John Worden, Administrator The University of Kansas Health System-Great Bend, Barton
*Jodi Schmidt, Executive Director, The University of Kansas Health System Care Collaborative, Johnson
*Scott Campbell, CEO, The University of Kansas Health System- St. Francis, Shawnee
*Brian Williams, President & CEO, Labette Health, Labette
*Todd Willert, President & CEO, Community HealthCare System, Inc., Pottawatomie
*David Jordan, CEO, United Methodist Health Ministry Fund, Hutchinson
*Sharon S Shepard, LSCSW, Clinical Social Worker/Behavioral Health Consultant, Community Health Center in Cowley County, Winfield
*Jenny Niblock, CCO, Citizens Health, Colby Dr. Robert Moser, Executive Director, Kansas Center for Rural Health, *Salina Amanda Mocaby, Clinic Director, Smith County Memorial Hospital, Smith
*Jeremy Armstrong, Administrator, Allen County Regional Hospital and Anderson County Hospital, Allen and Anderson
*Sandra Dickerson, CEO/ Administrator, Greenwood County Hospital, Greenwood
*Nancy McKenzie, P.A., Greenwood County Hospital, Greenwood
*Jeremy Rabe, CEO, Trego County-Lemke Memorial Hospital, Trego
*Brian Lawrence, President/CEO, Coffeyville Regional Medical Center, Montgomery
*George Stover, CEO, Hospital District #1 of Rice County, Rice
*Ruth Duling, CEO, Girard Medical Center, Crawford
*Joel Phelps, CEO, Salina Regional Health Center, Saline
*Harold Courtois, CEO, Memorial Health System, Dickinson
*Larry Van Der Wege, Administrator, Lindsborg Community Hospital, McPherson
*David Garnas, Administrator, North Central Kansas Medical Center, Cloud Dan Kelly, CEO, Republic County Hospital, Republic
*Carrie Lutz, CEO, Holton Community Hospital, Jackson
*Preston Sauers, CEO, Kingman Healthcare Center, Kingman
*Brian Barta, CEO, William Newton Hospital, Cowley
*Melanie Urban, Administrator, Pawnee Valley Community Hospital, Pawnee
*James Kirkbride, CEO, Ellsworth County Medical Center, Ellsworth
*Amber Williams, President & CEO, Southwest Medical Center, Seward
*Karen Orr, RN, MSN, MBA, CEO, Providence Medical Center, Wyandotte
*Valerie Gleason, President & CEO, NMC Health, Harvey
*Amanda Cunningham, CEO, Crosswinds Counseling and Wellness, Lyon
*Tarah Remington Brown, CEO, The Kansas Academy of Family Physicians, Johnson
*Benjamin Anderson, President & CEO, Hutchinson Regional Healthcare System, Reno
*Cathy Pimple, CEO, Newman Regional Health, Lyo
*Alex Haines, RN MHCL, CEO, St. Luke Hospital & Living Center, Marion
*Aimee Zimmerman, CEO, Logan County Health Services, Logan
*Mark Rooker, CEO, Hillsboro Community Hospital, Marion
*John Smart, Behavioral Health Clinician, Health Partnership Clinic, Olath
*Lisse Regehr, President and CEO, Thrive Kansas, Iola
*Erik Unruh, Physician, Iola
*Brian Wolfe MD, Staff Physician, Community Health Center SEK, Iola
*Rebecca Johnson, Administrator/SEK Local Health Officer, SEK Multi-County Health Department, Iola