Kansas Health

Sebelius stuck on Medicaid

[Alan Bjerga, "Sebelius calls for ways to keep people from losing insurance," The Wichita Eagle, 12 June 2005.]

In response to the recent Families USA report detailing how much the insured are paying to cover the uninsured, Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius had this to say:

"We must find affordable ways to cover more workers and their families."

In Kansas, the group estimated that families pay an additional $729 a year, which is actually below the national average of $922. But it's still a major burden, Sebelius said, that can best be combated by making sure that state-run Medicaid programs remain healthy enough to keep people from becoming uninsured and thus a greater public burden.

The problem of expensive insurance can be best combated by strengthening Medicaid? Sure, Medicaid is a mess, but isn't it a better idea to keep people off the program in the first place by reducing the overall cost of insurance?

[Matthew Hisrich, "One size won't fit all," Letter to the Editor, The Wichita Eagle, 2 June 2005.]