Foundation Journal

An NPR news report on the impact on Kansas hospitals because of failed efforts to expand Medicaid aired this week. The report shares how "Governor Sam Brownback and Republican legislative leaders have shown no interest in expanding Medicaid," while documenting the loss of federal funds and hospitals' case to press Kansas legislators to pick up the Obamacare subsidies. Missing from the report is an update on the impact on the lives of people eligible for health services in Kansas.

Just when you thought you heard all the ways Missouri legislators and the governor have made life worse for poor people they pull another one out of the hat. This last move spells trouble for housing projects for homeless people . The trend over time has caused more despair for low-income and working poor people in Missouri. Here is a list of six ways that have Missouri officials have found to increase poverty for people in the state. 1. Make it difficult to obtain food assistance. In a supposed effort to improve the food stamp (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program or SNAP) and public welfare application process, the Department of Social Services (DSS) in Missouri plans to consolidate 114 family support offices throughout the state . The state also removed an online application, making it more difficult for individuals and agencies to apply on behalf of individuals. While state officials have noted a drop in unemployment and food stamp participation, anti-poverty ...

A report on Democracy Now! today aired portions of "State of Conflict: North Carolina," a Bill Moyers documentary, which focuses on the "Moral Monday" protests and actions in North Carolina. Moral Mondays have built a movement to oppose Republican-led policies, which have diminished a range of social programs for poor and working people in the state, including Medicaid expansion, cuts to food stamps (aka Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program), education and unemployment benefits, changes to voting rights, as well as laws restricting abortion and support for the death penalty. These policies represent nothing short of an attack on poor people in that state. The Moral Monday movement is planning a massive march in Raleigh on February 8 to "fight back against these extreme policies."  While efforts in the Kansas City area and throughout Missouri don't match the impact of Moral Mondays, there is a groundswell led by Communities Creating Opportun...

I attended the regular meeting of the Kansas City-based Homelessness Task Force organization at the downtown public library in Kansas City, Missouri today. I arrived at the meeting a few minutes early and joined the 20 or so people waiting to enter the library when it opened at 9:00 am. Most people waiting -- older men and 20-somethings -- would fit a description of a homeless individual using the library to come in from the cold, damp morning. As I learned later none of these individuals attended the meeting of the organization responsible for overseeing solutions to their problem. In fact, a few task force representatives left the waiting crowd to enter the library through another entrance. The crowd included weather-beaten men without teeth, a young man listening to music on his phone with a tooth brush hanging out of his pocket, two 30-something men conversing about backpacks and KC life -- "this was one of the baddest banks" in its time, announced one of them, referrin...

Missouri Dept of Social Services chart showing current Medicaid (MO HealthNet) enrollment and expenses. (click image for full size) I attended a Local Investment Commission (LINC) meeting last week and listened to a detailed report on the Medicaid expansion options for Missouri under the Affordable Care Act. The expansion seems like a no-brainer option for Missouri with a significant increase in low-income people covered under health insurance. However, a Republican-controlled legislature in Missouri promises to make this a tough fight. As many as 300,000 people , mostly low-income families, would gain access to health care at a minimal cost to the state during the first five years of the expansion. Forget the anti-tax, "small government" talk, extending Medicaid coverage means an improved quality of life for lower-income people -- the most crucial element of the extension. Medicaid, as Brian Kinkade,  interim director of the Missouri Department of Social Services, i...