Uninsured Kansans on the rise

Kansas offers Medicaid and the State Children's Health Insurance Program, which is called Healthwave.

But King said Kansas lacks an active outreach program to get folks enrolled who are eligible for those programs.

“That is part of the missing link," she said.

In the United States, many people get health insurance through their employer. Approximately 57 percent of Kansans receive coverage this way.

But the number of employers offering coverage is decreasing, and the number of workers who enroll in employer-based health coverage also is decreasing because of increased copayments and deductibles.

In Kansas there are more obstacles, according to Marcia Nielsen, executive director of the Kansas Health Policy Authority, which has been fighting for health care reform.