Medicaid Legislation Would Make Cancer Even Worse for Kentuckians

As an oncologist and hematologist, I strongly believe in a person’s right to access the care they need. I know having access to health coverage is one of the most important factors to surviving a cancer diagnosis, so I was shocked to learn that the Kentucky legislature is working to pass legislation that will take health coverage away from hardworking Kentuckians.

House Bill 2 would make it harder for people who have heard the words, “You have cancer,” to access lifesaving treatment to get well and stay well.

The Kentucky House of Representatives recently passed HB 2, which rushes the implementation of copayments that will significantly increase out-of-pocket costs for low-income Kentuckians with Medicaid health insurance, well ahead of what federal law requires.

In doing so, Kentucky lawmakers are disproportionately penalizing cancer patients by implementing the maximum allowable copayment of $35 for inpatient hospital care, which is where cancer patients largely receive their lifesaving treatment. This bill puts lives at risk and will mean more cancer patients forced to forgo treatment, live sicker and die sooner.

I see families every day who are living through their worst-case scenario. Kentucky families, especially those impacted by cancer, deserve stability, dignity and a system that protects them when they are at their most vulnerable. Instead, with this bill, our lawmakers are making the situation worse.

I, along with the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network and several other health care organizations, call on the Kentucky Senate to recognize how the barriers erected by this bill will impact Kentuckians’ ability to be healthy and take care of their families.

The Senate has an opportunity to lessen the impact on working families and prevent unnecessary government red tape in our state. This bill is a matter of life or death for individuals with low incomes and serious health conditions.

The ability of many Kentuckians to live healthy lifestyles, detect cancer early, and my ability to offer treatment options for those who are diagnosed with cancer depend directly on the decision members of the Senate are about to make. They can stand up for the health of their constituents and fellow Kentuckians by rejecting these extreme, life-threatening changes to Medicaid.

Kentucky Lantern is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Kentucky Lantern maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Jamie Lucke for questions: [email protected].

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Previously Published on kentuckylantern with Creative Commons License

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