Small businesses are Kentucky’s economic lifeblood, providing 96% of the employer base, and health care costs are a top concern. Recent changes to Medicaid have reduced Kentucky’s uninsured rate to just six percent, and both the state’s manufacturers and a top religious organization agree that Medicaid is an investment in our future, but for different reasons. Greg Higdon of the Kentucky Association of Manufacturers says Medicaid helps employees stay healthy enough to show up for work, improving productivity, and Medicaid helps reduce the use of emergency rooms for routine health care needs, which costs everyone. The Catholic Conference of Kentucky’s Jason Hall says Medicaid is crucial in addressing Kentucky’s health care provider shortage. Both men say a health Kentucky is a productive Kentucky and is why employers statewide support recent Medicaid reforms and hope for more progress to maximize the positive effects of the program.