© 2024 KMUW
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

New Complaints Surfacing As Kansas Officials Work To Reduce KanCare Backlog

kees.ks.gov
The online portal to apply for KanCare coverage.

Kansas Medicaid officials are working to clear a massive application backlog. But as Heartland Health Monitor’s Jim McLean reports, new complaints are surfacing about problems facing low-income, disabled and elderly Kansans seeking to enroll in the health care program.

A Lawrence lawyer and others who help people enroll in KanCare, the state's privatized Medicaid program, say the number who are being mistakenly denied is on the rise. 

Those raising the concerns say continuing problems with a new state computer system and under-trained workers are to blame.

Angela de Rocha, a state agency spokesperson, says officials are “well aware” of the problems and “deeply regret” them. At one point in February, more than 35,000 new applications and renewals were backlogged. About half had been pending for more than the 45-day federal limit.

The new application backlog has been reduced substantially since then, but the number of Kansans waiting on renewals remains high.

More from KHI News Service.