Kansas filmmakers have the opportunity to win up to $1,000 for their original short films in a new competition sponsored by the Alliance for a Healthy Kansas. The competition is open to short films (10 minutes or less) about Medicaid expansion.
Films may focus on people, places, health care providers or policy. Any style or format is welcome: documentary, scripted, animated, etc.
“The Alliance and our partners have been working for years to increase access to affordable health care in Kansas by advocating for Medicaid expansion,” said April Holman, executive director of the Alliance. “This short film contest gives us the chance to recognize local filmmakers and help spread the message about the importance of health care coverage in a new, distinctive way.”
Under federal law, states have the option to expand eligibility for their Medicaid programs to insure more people. The federal government provides an enhanced match rate to fund these expanded programs (90/10 federal/state funding).
Thirty-six states and the District of Columbia have expanded their Medicaid programs. Kansas is one of only 14 states that has not expanded.
The Alliance for a Healthy Kansas and its statewide coalition are proponents of legislation that would expand eligibility for KanCare, the state’s Medicaid program. Expanding KanCare would bring hundreds of millions of federal tax dollars into Kansas, provide insurance for more than 150,000 Kansans, cover unpaid health care costs that are hurting our hospitals, create thousands of jobs and help stimulate our economy.
The top three films selected by staff at the Alliance will have a public screening on Nov. 1 at the historic Jayhawk Theater in downtown Topeka. A panel of judges will announce first, second and third places, and distribute cash prizes of $1,000, $500 and $250 respectively.
To submit your film, upload it to YouTube, Vimeo or a similar online video sharing platform and email the link to spencer@expandkancare.com. Deadline to enter is Oct. 25. Learn more at http://bit.ly/alliance-film-fest.
Source: press release