Information on Medicaid and SCHIP Kansas Health Insurance Coverage

Medicaid and SCHIP are two public health insurance programs that together provide an important safety net for low-income children, pregnant women, disabled adults, and seniors in Kansas. These programs pay for health care services for many who would otherwise be uninsured.

Adults typically do not qualify for Medicaid in Kansas, unless they are both low-income and either disabled or pregnant. Parents of minor children may qualify if they have very low monthly incomes. For example, a single mother with two children typically must have a gross monthly income of less than $400 to qualify for Medicaid. Kansas is among 10 states with the lowest income eligibility thresholds for working parents.

Medicaid and SCHIP enrollment declined between Fiscal Year 2006 (FY06) and FY07.

The decline coincided with the implementation of new citizenship documentation requirements for Medicaid beneficiaries. These requirements were included in the federal Deficit Reduction Act of 2005 and took effect at the beginning of FY07. They created a backlog in processing Medicaid and SCHIP applications. According to the Kansas Health Policy Authority, the vast majority of those whose eligibility determinations were delayed were eligible citizens.

The backlog in processing applications has since been cleared and SCHIP enrollment in FY08 was higher than in FY06. However, Medicaid enrollment in FY08 remains lower than in FY06. The reasons for this reduced enrollment are unclear at this time.