Government
Kansas will help pay for health insurance
NEWS IN BRIEF — Posted June 4, 2007
Gov. Kathleen Sebelius signed a bill last month designed help lower-income Kansans afford insurance. The law's new premium assistance program will provide, by 2011, up to $77 million to help 24,000 residents earning less than the federal poverty level buy health insurance. About $46 million of the funding is expected from federal matching funds. Participants could use the money to buy either employer-sponsored health insurance or coverage from new state health plans to be competitively bid.
The program will be phased in, starting with those earning less than 37% of the poverty level in 2008 and increasing to 100% of poverty by 2011.
The law also charges the Kansas Health Policy Authority with studying methods of expanding health care access, including the concept of a state health insurance pool. About 300,000 Kansans are uninsured.
The law also provides up to $15 million in loan guarantees for safety net health clinics and up to $500,000 to help start association health plans targeted to groups such as small businesses. The Kansas Medical Society supported the measure's health care provisions, according to KMS Executive Director Jerry Slaughter.
Note: This item originally appeared at http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2007/06/04/gvbf0604.htm.












