Rural Kansans depend on Medicaid at beginning and end of life. D.C. proposals threaten program.

Small towns and rural farming communities in Kansas depend on the Medicaid program, according to a new report from Georgetown University's Center for Children and Families. (Kevin Hardy/Stateline)
Small towns and rural farming communities in Kansas depend on the Medicaid program, according to a new report from Georgetown University's Center for Children and Families. (Kevin Hardy/Stateline)

In the public debate over Medicaid expansion in Kansas, a critical fact often gets lost: Large numbers of residents already depend on the program.

What’s more, despite racist stereotypes, those benefiting from the program live mostly in rural areas.

new report from Georgetown University’s Center for Children and Families sketches the present system and makes clear the threat of potential Medicaid cuts from Congress. A menu of potential spending reductions from U.S. House Budget Committee chair Rep. Jodey Arrington slashes $2.3 trillion — yes, that’s with a “t” — from the program covering low-income Americans, Politico reported.

“Medicaid is really the backbone of so many aspects of our health care system, from birth to long-term care, and many stops in between,” said Joan Alker, executive director and cofounder of the center. According to surveys, “this is literally the last thing voters want — voters of all political parties.”

As lawmakers in Washington, D.C., prepare a massive tax cut and spending bill, it seemed worthwhile to learn about what Medicaid means to rural areas. It also seemed worthwhile to learn about what it means for Kansas. Again: The program already covers Kansans of all ages. Alker and Benjamin Anderson, the president and chief executive officer of Hutchinson Regional Healthcare System, joined me on the Kansas Reflector podcast to sort through the issues.

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