Registration is now live for the 2026 Annual Meeting.

Give

Public Assistance Reform

Stay informed about health care issues that affect you, and the policy decisions being made statewide.

Search by Category
Search by Date

ThriveKY 2026 Virtual & In-Person Events

Join the ThriveKY Coalition in 2026 for: Important updates on the economy, Medicaid, KCHIP, SNAP, housing, transportation, child care, public health, and behavioral health. New tools available to assist community members with meeting basic needs. Tips on being a more effective advocate in your community.   2026 Events – Registrations linked below Virtual Programs (times in EST) In-Person Regional Roadshows – Now with 30 additional minutes for community discussion! Who should attend? **CEUs approved for CCHWs by the Kentucky Office of Community Health Workers. CEUs approved for all social workers licensed with the Kentucky Board of Social Work by the Kentucky Society of Clinical Social Work. CEU certificates are available for professionals who can self-report hours. Interested in Sponsoring ThriveKY in 2026? Sponsors help us provide programming and free CEUs to hundreds of community professionals in Kentucky. Check out our 2026 sponsorship flyer and reach out to Kelly Taulbee (kelly@kyvoicesforhealth.org) with any questions.

March 31, 2026

Kentucky Needs a Safety Net that Works for Us, Not Against Us

LOUISVILLE, KY – Many Kentuckians are simply a lost job, new baby, accident or illness away from qualifying for Medicaid, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP), and Kentucky Transitional Assistance Program (K-TAP) – “safety net” programs that exist to catch us when we fall and sustain us while we get back on our feet. Kentuckians who are underpaid, working multiple part-time jobs, struggling with a disability or other barriers to economic security are able to meet basic needs with the support from these programs. And Kentucky’s children who benefit from the safety net are better off later in life because of them. In an open letter signed by more than 60 organizations last December, many of us laid out our shared principles for what a strong and effective safety net should look like, calling on our public leaders to ensure access to vital assistance programs without barriers, honor the inherent dignity of people who participate,

February 17, 2020

A Thriving Community Requires a Strong Safety Net

LOUISVILLE, KY – Safety net programs like Medicaid, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) fill gaps in access to food, financial support and medical care across the commonwealth; and recently, these critical programs have been in the public conversation. Members of the Public Assistance Reform Task Force have concluded their work and recommended further exploration of adjustments to these programs.  At the same time, Governor-elect Beshear is building an administration that will have the opportunity to make broad changes to programs that have supported hundreds of thousands of Kentuckians in making ends meet. As each of these bodies proceed, we, the undersigned, urge Kentucky’s leaders to recognize the importance of these programs in the lives of their constituents throughout the commonwealth. Kentuckians look out for each other when we hit a hard patch and struggle to make ends meet, and our safety net should reflect that. We all need a hand sometimes. White,

December 11, 2019
stethoscope and money

Update: Mandatory Medicaid CoPays

Mandatory Medicaid copays, along with the confusion they bring, continue to be in the spotlight. At the September 26 meeting of the Advisory Council for Medicaid Assistance (referred to as the MAC), these copays were brought up twice. Once by Emily Beauregard, chair of the Consumer Rights and Client Needs Technical Advisory Committee, and again by Peggy Roark, a MAC member who represents Medicaid beneficiaries. The overarching themes remain the same: confusion over when copays are charged and

October 2, 2019