Citing the Geiger Gibson/RCHN Community Health Foundation Research Collaborative report, “Assessing the Potential Impact of the Affordable Care Act on Uninsured Community Health Center Patients: An Update,” Kansas City Public Media 89.3 FM radio reports that Missouri’s refusal to expand Medicaid will leave more than 56,000 patients who use community health centers without insurance.
Missouri has 23 CHCs; Kansas has 16. In 2012, Missouri’s CHCs served more than 438,000 patients. Kansas’ CHCs served more than 156,000. Because both states have chosen not to expand Medicaid eligibility, the CHCs won’t benefit from the money they would get from Medicaid, which is much more than they can charge uninsured patients. In Missouri, for example, CHCs will lose $38 million in Medicaid payments this year, according to the report. In Kansas, it means nearly $11 million in forgone payments.
