Our Services

Advocacy
The right policy for the right reasons…it's a tagline KAHSA uses to describe our advocacy efforts. And, like a race with a photo finish, strong advocacy based on the principle of” right policy for right reasons, "KAHSA helped achieve some remarkable gains for frail elder Kansans and their caregivers in the final moments of the 2006 Kansas legislative session.

When it was announced in mid-April by the state's Consensus Caseload Estimate Group that there would be a savings in the Medicaid budget of nearly $14 million over the next year and a half due to an unexpected decline in nursing home utilization, KAHSA quickly went to work to make sure that this savings was routed back into care for poor frail elders who call nursing homes "home." As a result, in an unprecedented move, and after intense discussion and negotiation, the
Legislature agreed to invest the savings in several critical improvements in the Medicaid system.

Number 1. They increased the monthly Personal Needs Allowance (PNA) for nursing home residents whose care is paid for by Medicaid from $30 to $50. Background: Poor nursing home residents whose care is paid for by Medicaid are required by law to turn over any personal income to put toward their care, except for a small "Personal Needs Allowance."  Until now, Kansas was among the small handful of states that had not raised the PNA from the minimum established by Congress in the
1980's. As a result, paying for even the most modest "extras" such as a new pair of stockings, a haircut, or a small gift for a grandchild, has become difficult for these elders to afford.

Number 2. They provided funding rebase nursing home rates on a rolling three-year average. More simply put, they directed the Department on Aging to take into account individual nursing homes' most recent actual cost for providing care when determining their Medicaid payment. Background:  Over the past few years the gap between the Medicaid reimbursement rate for nursing home care and the actual costs of care has grown to an average of $15 per resident per day for not-for-profit providers. This trend escalated after 2002, when the Department on Aging changed the frequency of rebasing reimbursement rates from every year, to up to every seven years. As a result, KAHSA members have found it increasingly difficult to adequately fund, much less increase, wages and benefits for frontline caregivers…the backbone of quality care for elders who call nursing homes "home." In addition, de-linking reimbursement from most recent costs causes problems when unforeseen hikes in other costs, like utilities and insurance rates, came along.

Number 3. They helped protect local access to nursing home care for frail elders in small rural communities by suspending the 85% occupancy penalty for nursing homes with fewer than 60 beds. Background: The state has had a long-standing policy to decrease per resident reimbursement for nursing homes with less than 85% occupancy. This "85% rule" was instituted in the 1980's, when average statewide nursing home occupancy was 95%. Today that average has plummeted to 85%.  The 85% rule especially hurts small rural homes, which, due to small size, find it hard to achieve economies of scale.  Yet, they are depended on in their communities as major employers and often times one of the only aging service providers. While much more work is needed to maintain and expand access to an array of aging services in rural Kansas, dropping the 85% rule on small homes is a step in the right direction.