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 […]

Governor launches first meeting of bipartisan Council on Medicaid Expansion

Oct. 1, 2019 Governor Laura Kelly’s call for a bipartisan, Kansas-specific plan to expand Medicaid coverage took an important step forward Monday with the first meeting of the Governor’s Council on Medicaid Expansion. “Many Kansans struggle to cover the costs of basic health care. Some people can’t afford coverage at all. The status quo is […]

Iola Register: Success Stories Abound for Kelly’s Commission on Medicaid Expansion

Oct. 1, 2019 An advantage to Kansas holding out on Medicaid expansion is that we can learn from others’ mistakes and successes. That’s being overly generous. After five years, Kansas legislators continue to deny more than 130,000 low-income Kansans health insurance through the Affordable Care Act, costing the state more than $1 billion — and […]

Gov. Laura Kelly launches council to guide Medicaid expansion debate

By Tim Carpenter | Sept. 30, 2019 Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly resumed Kansas’ spirited debate on Medicaid expansion by authorizing a large, bipartisan council Monday to serve as policy compass for legislators diving into the controversial issue during the 2020 session. She opened the inaugural meeting of the Governor’s Council on Medicaid Expansion by reminding […]

Leave work requirements out of KanCare expansion plans

By Dana Bacon | Oct. 1, 2019 Though the legislative session doesn’t begin until January 13, we already know its tone will be set by a central question: “How best to cover more Kansans by expanding access to the KanCare program?” Lawmakers will likely be tempted to add some controversial and concerning ideas in their […]

Kansas Continues to Lag in Insurance Coverage

By Sheldon Weisgrau | Sept. 25, 2019 The Census Bureau’s annual report on health insurance is out, and the news isn’t good. Despite economic growth and low unemployment, the number of Americans without insurance rose by about 2 million in 2018, continuing an erosion in coverage that began the year before. Prior to that, both […]