Kentucky is doing things differently and will lead the call for innovation in the Medicaid system.
By Ben Keeton
Medicaid is an important part of the business of healthcare in Kentucky. One in four Kentuckians is covered by a Medicaid plan, pumping in almost $6 billion into the healthcare system. While always a topic for political discussion, decisions about Medicaid have a significant impact on the delivery of care and payments to healthcare providers from Paducah to Pikeville.
The recent announcement by Passport Health Plan and Evolent Health reinforce the notion that Kentucky is at the center of the Medicaid universe. The establishment of the Center for Medicaid Excellence in Kentucky is no coincidence. Kentucky is doing things differently and will lead the call for innovation in a system that is critical to the future of healthcare across the country.
Policy analysts and politicians on both sides of the aisle will make strong arguments for and against Medicaid (especially expanded Medicaid), but it is clear that Kentucky’s healthcare community needs to engage in a productive conversation about the implementation and deliver of care for those that are served by both traditional and expanded Medicaid. While the fate of the delivery of care to Medicaid patients may rest in the hands of our elected leaders in Frankfort, we need to offer solutions to ensure that all Kentuckians have access to affordable care that is fair to patients and providers.
Over the course of the next year, Medical News will engage in conversations about Medicaid in Kentucky. We will dedicate space each month, both in print and online, to advance this conversation. Our goal is to provide a variety of different points of view under the theme of improving care to all Kentuckians.
We invite you to be a part of this conversation as well. Would you like to share your opinion in a piece published in Medical News? Please drop us a line at ben@igemedia.com or call (502) 813-7402. We would also like to hear from you if you want to be part of an interview or have a recommendation of a voice that needs to be heard.
Medicaid is important to the business of healthcare in Kentucky. While decisions about the delivery of care and reimbursement are being discussed, we as healthcare providers need to be a part of the solution.
