The KanCare program is the State of Kansas' Medicaid managed care program, which is provided to all Medicaid and CHIP consumers. Kansas has contracted with three health plans, or managed care organizations (MCOs), to coordinate health care for nearly all beneficiaries. The KanCare program began in January 2013. The Kansas Hospital Association is dedicated to assisting Kansas hospitals with the implementation of KanCare by providing resources and on-going information regarding the program. If you have questions, contact Shannan Flach.
The Kansas Department of Health and Environment is seeking stakeholder input as it begins to develop a Request for Proposal for the 2025 KanCare Managed Care Organizations' contracts. During these meetings, State staff will provide updates and information about KanCare. Participants can provide feedback and ask questions about how input will be used to create the RFP. These meetings will be held via Zoom. Registration is required before. Meeting dates and registration are listed below. KHA encourages hospitals to participate in these forums to provide feedback. Talking points have been created to help you during these forums.
If you do not wish to attend one of these meetings, or if you would like to provide your ideas in writing via email, please contact Amy Gajda at KDHE at kancarerenewal@ks.gov.
The three selected three health plans, or managed care organizations listed above will partner with subcontracted organizations to help in providing certain sets of services. KanCare health plans are required to offer all current Medicaid services to beneficiaries who are enrolled in their plans. Additionally, as part of the KanCare program, each of the health plans will offer some extra (value-added) services to consumers at no cost to the State.
In 2018, the Kansas State Legislature added $2.5 million to the State General Fund for the specific purpose of reinstating the federal Medicaid Health Homes Option in Kansas for State Fiscal Year 2019. This program, called OneCare Kansas, will be more limited in scope than the previous Health Homes initiative and will be an “opt-in” option for Medicaid members who qualify to participate. The Health Homes provision was authorized by the Affordable Care Act, and provides a layer of support beyond the traditional Medicaid services to help improve outcomes for beneficiaries with chronic conditions.
November 2016 Report Brief - Understanding KanCare's continuing challenges and how these challenges impact the program's ability to meet its original rational and commitments.
November 2016 Full Report - KHA, KMS and KAMU engaged Leavitt Partners to evaluate the current health care delivery systems, how those delivery systems can be improved, and how they can be leveraged to improve the health and quality of life for Kansas residents.