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KanCare Ready to Launch January 1

By David Meyer

12/10/2012

(KAIR) -- The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has informed Kansas it believes the State has demonstrated it is programmatically prepared for a January 1, 2013, start date for KanCare, the proposed system of integrated care for Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) beneficiaries.

Lieutenant Governor Jeff Colyer says KanCare has three main goals.

(Play Audio) RT: :29

The State and CMS will continue work to finalize Special Terms and Conditions in advance of Jan. 1.

The Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) and Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services (KDADS) are scheduled to launch KanCare following a nearly two-year public discussion on improving care for the 380,000-plus Kansans served by Medicaid.

KanCare includes continuity of care provisions to ensure members continue to have access to their current providers during the transition to KanCare.

A summary of those provisions and other member protections is available on the KanCare website: http://www.kancare.ks.gov/.

Other member protections include the creation of a KanCare Consumer Ombudsman, consumer telephone hotlines, and state oversight of the plans of care for members in home and community based services (HCBS) waiver programs.

Each Medicaid consumer has been pre-enrolled in either Amerigroup of Kansas, Sunflower State Health Plan or UnitedHealthcare Community Plan, and members have the opportunity between now and April 4, 2013, to switch to a different plan for any reason.

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