Kansas Hospitals Complaining About KanCare Delays

Hospitals are complaining that it’s taking longer to get reimbursed since the state switched to a new managed care plan for Medicaid.

When KanCare rolled out in January, most of the state’s Medicaid recipients were moved into plans administered by three private companies.

Cindy Samuelson of the Kansas Hospital Association says that since the switch, hospitals have reported problems getting reimbursed for services they perform. The Topeka Capital-Journal reports that hospitals also estimate it is taking three to 10 days to authorize treatment.

Samuelson says the state has attempted to deal with the authorization issues, but the problem persists.

The change to KanCare was promoted as a way to save money and improve care. Gov. Sam Brownback announced earlier this month that $37 million had been saved so far.

(Information from: The Topeka Capital-Journal, http://www.cjonline.com)