Editorial: The Writing Is On the Wall

Of all the unpopular changes originating in Topeka these days, one strikes particularly close to home. On January 1, 2013, KanCare will replace the current Medicaid system in Kansas and the services for Kansas’ elderly and disabled populations will be administered by three for-profit insurance companies. Over the past year, budget cuts initiated by the governor’s office have decimated staff levels at the former Kansas Department on Aging, which has been recast as the Kansas Department of Aging and Disability Services. It is safe to say that these days any entity which receives funding, directly or indirectly, from state government has its head on the chopping block. Stay tuned in 2013 to see what happens as tax cuts initiated by the governor and his loyalists take effect.