The Number of Uninsured Children is on the Rise

For many years, the nation has been on a positive trajectory reducing the number and rate of uninsured children. Having health insurance is important for children as they are more likely to receive needed services, have better educational outcomes, and their family is protected from the financial risks associated with being uninsured—even for a short […]

Kansas News Service: Rural Kansas Loves Its Hospitals, But Keeping Them Open Only Gets Harder

By Jim McLean | Oct. 28, 2019 ANTHONY, Kansas — Few things signal a rural community’s decline more powerfully than the closure of its hospital. Like shuttered schools and empty Main Streets, an abandoned hospital serves as a tangible reminder of the erosive power of decades of population loss and unrelenting economic trends. “Our rural […]

Statement from the Alliance for a Healthy Kansas

“The Alliance for a Healthy Kansas appreciates the Senate’s engagement in the expansion conversation. Closing this coverage gap for Kansans would bring hundreds of millions of federal tax dollars back home, insure tens of thousands of Kansans, create thousands of jobs and stimulate our economy. As this proposal moves through the Legislative process, we support […]

Wichita Eagle: Kansas Senate GOP leader’s Medicaid plan a tough sell for some fellow Republicans

Oct. 24, 2019 After years spent opposing past efforts to expand Medicaid, Kansas Senate Republican Leader Jim Denning now has a plan of his own. But the Johnson County lawmaker’s proposal drew tough reviews from both Democrats and members of his own party. Denning unveiled a plan Wednesday that could ultimately extend health coverage to […]

KPR: By Appealing to Both Sides, a Kansas Medicaid Expansion Plan Risks Opposition From All Directions

Oct. 24, 2019 A top Republican in the Kansas Senate said he’s designed a Medicaid expansion plan that aims to walk a fine line — one that can win over conservatives without losing support from moderate Republicans and Democrats. But the proposal also risks satisfying neither faction. Republican Senate Majority Leader Jim Denning outlined a […]

All Expansion Plans Are Not Created Equal: A Deep Dive into the Deliberations of the Upcoming Senate Select Committee on Healthcare Access

By Sheldon Weisgrau | Oct. 21, 2019 After years of inaction, a Senate committee will finally take up the most urgent health policy issue in Kansas: the expansion of the Medicaid (KanCare) program. The Senate Select Committee on Healthcare Access will meet on October 22-23 to consider an expansion plan developed by Senate Majority Leader […]

Gov. Laura Kelly: Expanding Medicaid will be top priority in upcoming session

By Gov. Laura Kelly | Oct. 19, 2019 In the coming weeks, Kansas lawmakers will begin a renewed conversation about expanding Medicaid coverage in Kansas. I have been clear that Medicaid expansion will be my No. 1 priority in 2020. If we take the right approach, expansion will provide access to health care for roughly […]

Sunflower State Journal: Senate Medicaid plan starts falling into place

By Brad Cooper | Oct. 11, 2019 The Senate plan to expand Medicaid is starting to fall into place, giving supporters hope that 2020 will be the year the Legislature extends medical coverage to an estimated 150,000 Kansans. Led by Senate Majority Leader Jim Denning, the Senate has been crafting its own version of an […]