Health Provisions in House Relief Bill Would Improve Access to Health Coverage During COVID Crisis

By Center on Budget and Policy Priorities | Feb. 10, 2021 COVID-19 relief legislation that House committees are considering includes several vital provisions that would make comprehensive coverage more affordable and accessible for millions of people. The legislation would enhance premium tax credits available through the health insurance marketplaces for two years, boost financial incentives […]

Kansas Reflector: Rural Kansas superintendent makes personal plea for Medicaid expansion

By Sherman Smith | Feb. 1, 2021 TOPEKA — For Rex Bruce, the prospect of Medicaid expansion is personal. The superintendent for the Sublette school district has stage four prostate cancer, and his wife suffers from anaphylaxis shock, which causes her throat to shut off. There are times they would have died if they didn’t […]

Kansas Reflector: Governor seeks to pay for Medicaid expansion in Kansas by legalizing medicinal marijuana

By Tim Carpenter | Feb. 1, 2021 OVERLAND PARK — Gov. Laura Kelly shook up debate about Medicaid expansion in Kansas by proposing Monday the state finance extending health care to as many as 165,000 low-income Kansans with revenue from legalizing medicinal marijuana. Both political issues have been debated in the Kansas Capitol for years, […]

47 Rural Kansas Hospitals at Immediate Risk of Closing

Over 500 rural hospitals – more than one-fourth of the rural hospitals in the country – were at immediate risk of closure even before the coronavirus pandemic be- cause of continuing financial losses and lack of financial reserves to sustain operations. These hospitals had: Persistent Financial Losses: The hospitals had a cumulative negative total margin […]

Gov. Kelly renews call for Medicaid expansion in 2021 State of the State address

The following is excerpt from the transcript of Governor Laura Kelly’s 2021 State of the State address: … So, if we’ve learned anything these past 10 months, it’s that every Kansan deserves health care they can afford, good health care facilities near their homes, and for our rural neighbors and friends, more access to telehealth […]

Medicaid expansion could help hospitals financially recover from pandemic, Health Affairs study suggests

By Hailey Mensik | Jan. 5, 2021 The COVID-19 pandemic has already bludgeoned hospitals’ finances amid stay-at-home orders and widespread cancellations in elective procedures. Now a surge in unemployment rendering some patients unable to access or pay for care is posing a threat to long-term recovery efforts. But lost revenue may be easier for hospitals […]

Studies find Oregon’s Medicaid expansion improved prenatal care access, birth outcomes

By Molly Rosbach | Jan. 4, 2021 CORVALLIS, Ore. — A pair of recent studies from Oregon State University found that Oregon’s Medicaid expansion in 2014 has led to increased prenatal care among low-income women, as well as improved health outcomes for newborn babies. In the three years after the expansion, one study found that […]

Kansas governor promises another push for Medicaid expansion

By John Hanna | Jan. 1, 2021 TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly will push again this year to expand Medicaid in Kansas even though top Republicans in the GOP-controlled Legislature are less receptive to the idea than they were last year. “I will never stop fighting for Medicaid expansion,” she said during […]