Governor Andy Beshear has notified the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) that Kentucky is dropping its request for an 1115 waiver. The waiver would have allowed the state to add work requirements to the Medicaid program.
Beshear also signed an executive order protecting the state’s Medicaid expansion put in place by his father, Steve Beshear, when he was governor, and has asked the courts to dismiss Kentucky from litigation around the expansion.
Beshear issued the following statement about his actions:
Health care is a basic human right and every Kentucky family deserves to see a doctor and receive treatment when they are sick. I will not allow burdensome roadblocks and unnecessary red tape to stand in the way of the health and well-being of Kentuckians. If we are going to move forward as a Commonwealth, and build a bigger and brighter future for all our families, we must first ensure they have access to health care.
Reactions to Beshear’s actions
Health and Family Services Acting Secretary Eric Friedlander, along with urban and rural health care advocates, joined Gov. Beshear at the Capitol Monday in support of rescinding the Medicaid waiver. Secretary Friedlander said, “I believe in building on success and success is getting people health care coverage and keeping them covered. This is not only good for the individuals across the Commonwealth, but for all our health care providers as well.
Other stakeholders also issued statements:
- State Rep. Angie Hatton of Whitesburg: “This is wonderful news for Kentucky, but especially for areas like mine in eastern Kentucky where our health is poorer, our incomes are lower and jobs are sorely needed. Medicaid expansion grants access to health care for those who need it the most so that people can live longer and more productive lives, but just as importantly, it provides jobs in the health care industry as local clinics expand to take advantage of this funding. I’m grateful that our governor understands that.”
- Rev. Timothy Findley of Kingdom Fellowship in Louisville: “As a faith leader, it is my conviction that it is just as unacceptable to simply stand by and do nothing, as it is to actively work against the good of our neighbor. When it comes time to make decisions that will change the course of health care in Kentucky — we must translate love into action. Today is about rescinding an uncompassionate Medicaid waiver and beginning to show compassion to those in need in our great state.”
- Ashley Gibson, president of the Kentucky Rural Health Association in Morehead: “As the Kentucky Rural Health Association, we are deeply committed to ensuring that all Kentuckians have access to quality health care benefits. So we’re pleased that Gov. Beshear and his administration is rescinding the Medicaid waiver that could have hurt thousands of Kentucky families.”
- Emily Beauregard, executive director of Kentucky Voices for Health: “If we’ve learned anything from the past six years of Medicaid expansion, it’s that people are able to improve their health, keep a job and be better parents exactly because they are covered in the first place. Gov. Beshear’s decision to withdraw this waiver means that more than 400,000 hard-working Kentuckians and their families can have peace of mind knowing they will have access to health care without barriers.”
- Kristen Arant of Newport, who is on expanded Medicaid: “It’s not an exaggeration to say the expansion of Medicaid has saved my life and the lives of thousands of Kentuckians. Since becoming covered in 2014, I’ve received treatment for substance abuse disorder and earned a college degree. Medicaid expansion has been vital to my family.”
Studies and statistics
- Between 86,000 and 136,000 Kentuckians could have lost their Medicaid health insurance coverage under the work and volunteer requirements of the waiver project (George Washington University).
- Implementing the waiver project would cost Kentucky an estimated $271 million to implement (Government Accountability Office)
- The Medicaid expansion program helped Kentucky lead the nation in increased health care coverage, and resulted in a 230% increase in the number of Medicaid patients in the state who received colon cancer screening, which led to a 27% decrease in risk of death (University of Kentucky).
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