KSNT: Kansas sees new push after report shows Medicaid expansion saves state businesses’ money
By Rebekah Chung | April 21, 2021
TOPEKA (KSNT) — The Alliance for a Healthy Kansas held a virtual meeting Wednesday to go over key findings from a Kansas Health Institute report.
The report shows that private-sector employers would save between $39.6 million and $80.6 million a year if the state opted into Medicaid expansion. April Holman, executive director of the Alliance for a Healthy Kansas, led the meeting joined by Brad Stratton, president of Overland Park Wealth Management, who shared a business perspective on expansion.
“I saw an immediate financial impact, as well as the healthcare benefits to the state were so evident from the beginning, and from my investment perspective, I laughingly said this is a rare example of an easy decision when it comes to return on investment,” Stratton said.
Currently, Kansas is one of 12 states that have not opted into Medicaid expansion. Opponents in the legislature have argued that it’s an investment that the state can’t afford.