Last week, we submitted comments in partnership with twelve other national organizations on Kentucky’s proposed section 1115 Medicaid demonstration waiver, which would make significant changes to Kentucky’s currently successful Medicaid expansion program. Our comments on the proposed waiver, known as Kentucky HEALTH, centered on concerns in areas of the demonstration project that would add red-tape and thwart access to care for Medicaid beneficiaries. We also focused on other proposed measures that were not in keeping with the goals of the Medicaid program. You can read our full comments and reasoning here.

Say Ahhh! Readers may shrewdly remember some of the items in this proposal mirror similar initiatives proposed in Arizona and Ohio; however, CMS has given clear indication that certain things like work requirement will not be approved. We will have more to say as CMS and Kentucky move forward in negotiations, and hope that the Medicaid program continues to connect Kentuckians to the healthcare that they need.

For more background on what’s at stake in the Kentucky Medicaid debate, read this report from the Kaiser Family Foundation or this report from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.