The Wichita Eagle reports on developments in Kansas:
When the state announced Friday that it would delay bringing long-term support services for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities into KanCare – the state’s privatized Medicaid program – Aldona Carney was thrilled.
That move had been scheduled to take place Jan. 1, despite the efforts of advocates of the developmentally disabled to delay or prevent it.
“I’m hoping they’ll carve it out completely and come to their senses,” said Carney. She and her husband, Pat, have a 19-year-old son, Neil, with severe autism.
Since KanCare went into effect for medical services last January, Carney said, their son has had issues with getting the proper medications and with his Medicaid card being terminated without notification.
They were later told it must have been a computer glitch, and he was re-entered into the system, Carney said.
Those problems have made her worry that her son’s day-to-day care could also suffer if it is included in the program.
The delay came after the state received a letter from the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services saying it would not approve an amendment to a waiver that would allow Kansas to include services for the developmentally disabled in KanCare.
A state spokesperson said the delay is temporary and is not related to the readiness of the state to transition the developmentally disabled to KanCare.
Read more here: http://www.kansas.com/2013/12/27/3198609/state-to-delay-kancare-for-those.html#storylink=cpy
