Health

A Lawrence man has been appointed to the newly-created position of KanCare Ombudsman. 

James Bart is a former corporate attorney. More importantly, perhaps, he’s the father of a 19-year-old son with developmental disabilities. As such, the young man will be a KanCare consumer.

As ombudsman, Bart’s job is to help consumers with any problems they may have with benefits, services, and access under the privatized Medicaid system called KanCare.

“I’m going to be the person that says what’s your needs, and how can I fulfill that?" he says.

The 2012 edition of America's Health Rankings says medical advances are helping people live longer, but preventable illnesses and unhealthy behaviors are undermining the quality of that longer lifespan.

The big threats, according to the report from United Health Foundation, are obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure, and inactive lifestyles. Kansas ranks right in the middle of the 50 states, at 24th overall. However, Kansas has one of the highest obesity rates in the U.S., with more than 630,000 obese adults.

It's arguably the biggest change in the history of the Medicaid program in Kansas. KanCare, the privatization of Medicaid, now has the go-ahead from federal officials, and will launch January 1 2013.

The announcement came from the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, or CMS, Friday afternoon. Lieutenant-Governor Jeff Colyer, the Brownback administration’s point man on KanCare, participated in the announcement by speaker phone.

This Friday is the deadline for people with Medicare to make changes to change their health and drug coverage.

If you have original Medicare, your benefits are administered by the federal government. If you have Medicare Advantage, your plan is run by a private insurance company. Now is the time when you can switch to Medicare Advantage, if you wish.

On the other hand, if you want to drop your Medicare Advantage plan and switch to original Medicare, that opportunity runs from January 1 through February 14.