Bi-Partisan Coalition of Legislators Urge U.S. Senators Moran and Roberts to Protect Health Care
Recently, a bi-partisan group of legislators signed a letter urging Senators Roberts and Moran to protect health care in Kansas and reject the AHCA. Read their letter below:
| The Honorable Pat Roberts United States Senate 109 Hart Building Washington, DC 20510 |
The Honorable Jerry Moran United States Senate 521 Dirksen Senate Office Building Washington, DC 20510 |
June 14, 2017
Dear Senators Roberts and Moran:
As a bi-partisan group of legislators, we are reaching out to you regarding our concerns about the American Health Care Act (AHCA). This legislation will have a profound negative impact on Kansas.
The Congressional Budget Office (CBO), the nonpartisan scorekeeper for federal legislation, estimates that under the AHCA, 23 million fewer Americans will have health coverage in 2026. Tens of thousands of them will be Kansans. Others, primarily older and lower income Kansans, will see significant increases in their premiums and out-of-pocket costs. Those living with preexisting conditions could be priced out of the market and lose access to critical care.
Most concerning to us, however, is the impact the AHCA will have on Medicaid. Per capita caps, coupled with cuts of more than $830 billion over the next decade, will devastate this program. The Urban Institute estimates that Kansas would lose at least $1 billion in federal funding. This loss will strain the state budget and result in cuts in eligibility and services. Most Medicaid beneficiaries are children, Kansans with disabilities, and seniors. They are the ones who will be harmed.
Other changes to Medicaid would make it harder to enroll vulnerable Kansans and put our hospitals and other health care providers at further risk of closure. We urge you to reject these changes and say no to per capita caps and funding cuts.
In addition, the AHCA prohibits Kansas from expanding Medicaid, despite overwhelming public support and passage of an expansion bill by the Kansas legislature. The AHCA takes this option away from state legislators and with it, our ability to enhance access to care for more than 150,000 Kansans, protect hospitals and rural communities, and create jobs. Without expansion, federal funding to Kansas will be permanently disadvantaged relative to other states.
We hope to partner with you on policies that make Kansas a healthier place to live and work. As you work on the AHCA, please protect Medicaid and in doing so, protect the Kansans.
Sincerely,
| Senator John Doll
Senator Oletha Faust- Goudeau Senator Marci Francisco Senator Bruce Givens Senator David Haley Senator Randall R. Hardy Senator Tom Hawk Senator Anthony Hensley Senator Pat Pettey Senator Lynn W. Rogers Senator John Skubal Senator Dinah H. Sykes Senator Mary Jo Taylor Representative John Alcala Representative Dave Baker Representative Barbara Ballard Representative Elizabeth Bishop Representative Shelee Brim Representative Tom Burroughs Representative Sydney Carlin Representative Stephanie Clayton Representative Susan Concannon Representative Steven Crum Representative Pam Curtis Representative Diana Dierks Representative Gail Finney Representative Shannon Francis Representative Stan Frownfelter Representative Linda Gallagher Representative Jim Gartner Representative Mary Martha Good |
Representative Henry Helgerson
Representative Broderick Henderson Representative Larry Hibbard Representative Dennis ‘Boog’ Highberger Representative Tim Hodge Representative Cindy Holscher Representative Anita Judd-Jenkins Representative Joy Koesten Representative Annie Kuether Representative Greg Lewis Representative Nancy Lusk Representative Adam Lusker Representative Vic Miller Representative Monica Murnan Representative Cindy Neighbor Representative KC Ohaebosim Representative Boyd Orr Representative Jarrod Ousley Representative Brett Parker Representative Eber Phelps Representative Jeff Pittman Representative Bradley Ralph Representative Louis Ruiz Representative Tom Sawyer Representative Jerry Stogsdill Representative Ed Trimmer Representative Ponka-We Victors Representative Jim Ward Representative John Wilson Representative Valdenia Winn Representative Kathy Wolfe-Moore |