Feds should reject Bevin’s bid to end transportation for Medicaid patients

Unveiling his Medicaid plan, Gov. Matt Bevin said his overriding goal was “better health outcomes.” However, if he succeeds in eliminating coverage of Medicaid transportation, nearly half a million citizens will suffer decidedly worse, not better, health outcomes.

Transportation is a critical, federally-required benefit that allows Medicaid patients to access preventive care and behavioral health, dialysis and cancer treatment. An analysis by Simon & Co. found that chronically ill individuals use medical transportation the most, especially those needing kidney dialysis. Without a transportation benefit, many Medicaid patients would be unable to obtain care, leading to costlier health interventions down the road.

Asked why Kentucky is seeking to waive this benefit, Bevin’s adviser Mark Birdwhistell said only that transportation is not a commercial health-insurance benefit and is underutilized. Whether in commercial plans or not, studies show new Medicaid beneficiaries report worse physical and mental health, multiple physical ailments and functional limitations when compared to poor families already in Medicaid.

The state admits that new Medicaid patients took 140,000 Medicaid transportation trips in 2014. Without this benefit, how will these patients reach their doctors? The governor and his advisers have no answer.

The federal government should reject the governor’s request to eliminate transportation benefits.

This story was originally published October 21, 2016 at 9:14 PM with the headline "Feds should reject Bevin’s bid to end transportation for Medicaid patients."