Governor Sam Brownback, President Trump’s choice to be ambassador to religion, repeatedly emphasized that the state of Kansas would be the shining example to conservatives — a real world experiment to prove conservative values.
What we’ve discovered, however, is that the experiment has lead to outright disaster for the residents, as basic services were gutted and those who were most in need were left out in the cold. Whether you were someone with mental health issues, a child needing services from DCF, or even our prisons, Kansas slash and burn method to provide tax exemptions to the ultra-wealthy at the expense of the poor led to an immediate and sometimes deadly cost.
In a report issued today, the HHS again cited problems with Kansas slash and burn methods:
oig.hhs.gov/…
KANSAS DID NOT ALWAYS VERIFY CORRECTION OF DEFICIENCIES IDENTIFIED DURING SURVEYS OF NURSING HOMES PARTICIPATINGIN MEDICARE AND MEDICAID
And that’s just the title. You read it right, the State of Kansas was informed of deficiencies within nursing home care, and in large part due to a lack of available staff to inspect and follow up on these issues, they went unchecked.
Andy Marso at the Kansas City Star has followed this story for years, from his time at KHI to his new role at the Star, and his article hits the mark:
www.kansascity.com/...
A shortage of inspectors was flagged as a possible source of the state’s failures. The report said that as of August 11, KDADS had 18 vacancies in its 61 surveyor positions, a rate of almost 30 percent. Those surveyors are tasked with inspecting 310 nursing homes.
The federal review also revealed that about 13 percent of the followup reviews that did occur had been accidentally deleted from the state’s database.
Representative Jerry Stogsdill (D-Prairie Village) discussed this matter in this spring with community members, noting that “There are things you need government for, that these people have paid taxes all of their lives for..”
He’s speaking of tax revenue that those who are elderly have paid into the state for decades, in part under the expectation that basic services — like their own health and safety — would be looked after in their later years.
Marso’s article continues:
“That’s something we’ve been testifying to the Legislature about for a number of years now because it’s a big concern for us,” McFatrich said. “We think that puts residents at higher risk and for people that are already being harmed, they suffer that harm longer.”
The federal agency recommended that the state tighten its followup inspection requirements, update its policies to “ensure that survey system data is protected against unauthorized or unintended modification or loss” and develop a correction plan to make sure nursing homes get a routine inspection every 15 months.
While the state notes that it plans to make the required changes to get better at the process, what the state has not done is moved to increase pay and benefits to attract the required talent to protect those in need.
“This is not acceptable” contended House Democratic Leader Jim Ward (D-Wichita), Republican gubernatorial candidate Kris Kobach, however, has indicated this may not only be acceptable but should be an example of how we treat government — by cutting jobs.