The Medicaid programs administered by state governments provide vital health care coverage to the most economically vulnerable residents who are often low-income families with young children, expectant mothers, the elderly and adults who are blind or disabled. These essential programs are made possible with joint funding and a regulatory framework provided by the federal government.
In Kansas, Medicaid is known as KanCare and ensures that more than 100,000 eligible blind, disabled and elderly residents receive adequate medical and long-term care. Covered services include:
- Doctor and specialist visits
- Inpatient and outpatient hospital care
- Diagnostic tests and X-rays
- Emergency treatment
- Medical transportation
- Institutional nursing home care
- Home and community-based care services
Qualifying for KanCare for Long-term Care Wichita residents can qualify for KanCare coverage for long-term care if they’re:
- Aged 65 or older
- Aged 64 or younger and disabled or blind
- Assessed as needing the level of care normally provided in a nursing home
Residents must also meet the program’s financial guidelines that stipulate:
- No more than $2,313 in monthly income per individual
- No more than $2,000 in total countable assets per person whether single or applying with a spouse
Seniors and disabled adults eligible to receive
Supplemental Security Income benefits are automatically enrolled in KanCare when they apply to the Social Security Administration and don’t need to file a separate Medicaid application.
The state requires that income from all sources be put toward an applicant’s cost of care except $62 per month that’s reserved for personal needs. A number of assets don’t count toward the limit, including one vehicle, personal belongings, burial plots, life insurance with a value up to $1,500, a primary home worth no more than $585,000 and household furnishings.
Alternate Options to Qualify for Coverage The Kansas Medicaid program does offer two options that may let over-limit individuals qualify for coverage:
- Those with excess income may become eligible through the spend-down program. Using this method, applicants can receive six months of KanCare coverage after spending their monthly income above $495 on approved medical- and care-related expenses.
- Married seniors who are applying solely and exceed the income and asset limits may become eligible after living and resource allowances are deducted for their spouse’s living expenses. These spousal allowances are mandated by federal law and can reduce an applicant’s income by up to $3,160.50 per month and their jointly owned assets by as much as $126,420.
Wichita residents can
apply for KanCare coverage online or call (800) 792-4884 to learn more or obtain help with their application.
Frail Elderly Waiver Program KanCare provides the
Frail Elderly waiver program to give residents aged 65 or older an alternative to institutional nursing home care. This program is available to Medicaid-eligible seniors who’ve been assessed as needing a nursing home level of care but able to safely live in the community with waiver-provided support. The FE program doesn’t cover the cost of room and board in an assisted living facility, but it may pay for various provided services, such as:
- Comprehensive support
- Help with activities of daily living
- Assistance with financial management
- Medication reminders
- Enhanced care
- Wellness monitoring
- Nurse evaluations
- Assistive technologies
- Personal emergency response systems
For more information about the FE program or to apply, Wichita seniors can call the
Central Plains Area Agency on Aging at (316) 660-5120.