Reallocating the Levy to Stop the Flood

Older minorities are substantially underserved by the Kansas City health-care system; frequently they are “out of sight, out of mind.” Their needs, however, continue to impact their families, employees and communities. Swope Ridge Geriatric Center at 59th Street and Swope Parkway is among the largest providers of health-care to the elderly minority community and has experienced for a number of years the bad effects of our defective arrangements for serving the needs of the residents, their families and the employees of this important institution.

The most recent Kansas City health levy was passed in 1989 to fulfill the city’s obligation to provide health care to the indigent, the poor and the needy. At that time the tax proceeds of the levy were used almost entirely for working-age adults and children; the elderly were an afterthought. The number of elderly has increased significantly since that time.:

More important, the number of minority elders has increased more rapidly and will continue to do so. In 1990, minority elders made up 13 percent of the elderly population. This group increased in size 42 percent from 1990 to 2000, and it now makes up 17 percent of elders. By 2030, 25 percent of the elderly population will be minority, and by 2050, 35 percent will be nonwhite. Minority citizens are also more likely to be poor: one in three nonwhites lives in poverty compared to one in 10 whites.

Failure to allocate levy proceeds proportionate to the number and needs of indigent elderly minority citizens is a major shortcoming of our health-care system. Mayor Barnes and the City Council should act promptly to correct the city’s failure to fulfill its long-standing and city-charter obligation to serve all the indigent with levy proceeds. The levy almost certainly needs to be increased, but until that event, corrective action should be taken to make sure the needs of this important group of citizens are addressed.

The mayor recently appointed a health-care commission to monitor, among other things, racial and ethnic disparities in health-care access and treatment. Redress of the present disparity in treatment of the elderly minority should be a priority of that commission, the City Council and our city’s leadership.

Landon H. Rowland is chairman of Stilwell Financial Inc., of the Swope Ridge Geriatric Center, and of the Local Investment Commission. He may be reached via e-mail at vhamilton@stilwellfinancial.com