The closure of Independence, Kansas Mercy Hospital may mark the moment where discussion of Medicaid Expansion took a sudden and significant turn. The Brownback administration had promised significant growth for Kansas communities, proclaiming that "The Sun Is Shining in Kansas" but for Montgomery County, Kansas, the last two years seem far more like a nightmare that they cannot escape.
Independence, Kansas is a small but proud community. Once a year, this small community, home of less than 10,000 members takes pride in a community tradition called Neewollah, a festival started in 1919 designed to stop the "tricks and pranks" of Halloween and replace it with a fun, town wide event.
People across Southeast Kansas travel to Independence to join the celebration and be part of the community.
While Neewollah was designed to help rid the community of trick and pranks that could harm them, it turns out the greatest trick to be played on them occurred not by bored teenagers but instead at the hands of a Governor who was unwilling to consider Medicaid Expansion.
http://www.kansas.com/...
Kansas will lose its first hospital in nine years when Mercy Hospital in Independence begins a phased closure starting Oct. 10 – a victim of changes in hospital reimbursement and slow depopulation.
The hospital has struggled financially for a few years and officials tried for months to negotiate agreements with other hospitals in the region. In late July, they signed a preliminary agreement to sell its assets to Coffeyville Regional Medical Center, but last week officials said they were calling a halt the talks without an agreement.
About 190 jobs are affected.
Now, in a town of less than ten thousand, they face the loss of significant jobs - 190 directly impacted by the hospital. Hospitals, though, bring outside jobs and revenue. For maintenance crews who help upkeep the HVAC to a vending machine owner who collects the coins twice a month. For the town of Independence, the exit of a hospital represents a serious impact on their way of life.
It may be this moment, however, that forces some serious discussion. Jeff King, (R-Independence) hails from the small community. While he has been a stalwart of opposition to Medicaid Expansion, along with Republicans in the Kansas House, he is now starting to see some light.
http://www2.ljworld.com/...
"I've never been amenable to just an expansion of the Affordable Care Act," Senate Vice President Jeff King said Tuesday. "But as we look at states like Indiana that take a real state-centric approach to addressing the health care needs of their poor, I think that's something that Kansas needs to strongly consider."
Last week, Mercy Hospital in King's home town of Independence announced it will close its doors Oct. 10. The hospital cited several factors in its decision, including declining reimbursement rates from Medicare, the federal health insurance program for the elderly.
What Senator King knows is that his home community, Montgomery County, has been dealt repeated body blows by the policies of the Kansas Republicans. The loss of a hospital is the newest and most notable, but it was last year when
Amazon decided to leave nearby Coffeyville. Amazon at one point hired 1,000 Full Time Employees. Between Amazon, the loss of John Deere (38 employees), and Southwire (200 employees), Montgomery County has been dealt a harsh hand. Montgomery County, and their roughly 35,000 residents were not prepared for the significant job losses that have hammered these small and proud Kansas towns.
Despite the fact Senator Jeff King has seen the light, he will have a hard fight for medicaid expansion within the Kansas Senate. Senate member Mary Pilcher Cook referred to medicaid expansion as a "cold hearted attack on the disabled" in a conference committee; and advanced a counter proposal: placing a tax on individuals who buy plans through the ACA website. In a town hall meeting in DeSoto, Kansas 2014, Senate Member Julia Lynn referred to Medicaid expansion as "a trap".
The residents of Independence, though, know for sure that their hospital is gone and their community is facing a fight for survival at it's current size. Looking at nearby communities, Independence looks at neighboring small communities and wonders if population will continue to leave.
For one weekend in October, residents and crafters from around the state will gather to celebrate the things that all of us remember about Independence: the cotton candy, the 5k run, the stage acts and musical performance.
Neewollah bands and cheer always reminded me as a kid of a community that would avoid the tricks that other high school kids played in smaller communities. There were no hay bails on fire in Independence, just funnel cake. Now, out of towners will now come to Independence realizing that soon the nearest hospital will be 16 miles away, along a two lane highway rather than close by.
And that was the trick their town festival wasn't prepared to stop.
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