A inquisitive group of people turned out for a meeting hosted by the Kansas Health Policy Authority on Tuesday night at the Emporia Public Library.
The Kansas Health Policy Authority (KHPA) was created through legislation in 2005. KHPA is governed by a nine-member citizen board and eight ex-officio members. It coordinates statewide health policy agenda and manages publicly funded health programs including Medicaid, State Children’s Insurance Program, and Medikan and the State Employee Health Benefits Plan. Among other things the KHPA does is it incorporates data to develop health policy.
KHPA board member Ray Davis said the legislation to create the KHPA passed unanimously in the House and Senate.
“I think that shows a commitment and interest in the state to go new directions,” Davis said.
The organization held a town hall meeting Tuesday in Emporia as part of its community dialogue tour. The KHPA provided meeting participants with handouts that outlined the 2009 priorities. The No. 1 priority for KHPA is a statewide indoor smoking ban. The pamphlet said that tobacco causes 4,000 deaths in Kansas each year, including 290 deaths that are attributed to second hand smoke.
According to the pamphlet, 83 percent of Kansans believe smoking is a health hazard and at least 36 states have restrictions on smoking in public places. The second priority for the group is a tobacco user fee and the third is health reform funding.
Marcia Nielsen, KHPA executive director, said the tobacco user fee would bring tobacco use down while providing funding. The current tax on cigarettes in Kansas is 79 cents. According to the handout, tobacco use costs Kansans 86 cents per pack sold to pay Medicaid expenses. KHPA is recommending an increase of 75 cents per pack. This would generate about $68.7 million in revenues in 2010.
“People who smoke cost the system more. Period,” Nielsen said. “People who smoke are sicker than those who don’t.”
Nielsen also addressed the third priority, health care reform. She said Kansas is one of only 10 states in the country where the number of uninsured citizens went up last year.
“One in 10,” she said. “We have a long way to go.”
The KHPA is recommending that the tobacco user fee go to fund programs to provide health insurance and promote public health.
Other priorities include improving access to affordable health care; implementing a statewide community health record; expanding early detection for types of cancers; school health programs and providing tobacco cessation programs for Medicaid recipients.
Following opening comments, the floor was opened up to audience questions and comments. Questions ranged from substations’ effects on residents to health policy and insurance.
One audience member inquired about affordable health insurance as one of the priorities of the KHPA. Nielsen said the group made the least amount of progress in health insurance last legislative session. She said they did not make progress for health insurance for small businesses, young adults and the poorest among the poor.
“Those things need to be a priority but you have to have a way to pay for them,” she said. “The number of uninsured is only going to go up in a tight economy.”
Davis said the KHPA had to set priorities and can’t deal with everything at once.
“It’s very difficult to deal with everything at once,” he said. “It’s difficult to take on two complex areas — health care and education. You have to deal with it incrementally.”
Nielsen discussed several options for health insurance, including a mandate to require health insurance companies to carry young adult children on parents’ policies; requiring every citizen to purchase health insurance or providing health insurance to every citizen; and requiring companies to offer health insurance. None of these are current mandates.
Another audience member asked about what barriers were present when the group presented the tobacco user tax. Nielsen said KHPA faced an election season and many legislators weren’t willing to back a bill of that nature during election season.
“Folks that are opposed are very vocal and very organized,” Nielsen said.
The topic of safety net health clinics also came up. These clinics exist as a safety net to the uninsured and underinsured. The state just allocated $2.5 million for safety net clinics, Nielsen said. But, she said, more needs to be done. Safety net clinics don’t cover the entire state and don’t cover specialty services that people might need.
“It’s not the same thing as having insurance,” she said.
Nielsen also talked about the establishment of medical homes for consumers. A medical home is a team of people who manage and coordinate the patient’s care.
“It’s where you get your health care coordinated,” she said. “It’s the place that is working to empower you.”
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