Topeka Capital Journal: Missouri said yes to Medicaid expansion; will Kansas?

By Andrew Bahl | Aug. 5, 2020

It is rare that Kansans will root for Missouri in anything.

But Tuesday night, residents who have been pushing for the state to expand its KanCare program found themselves in just that position as they watched voters in the Show-Me State narrowly approve their own Medicaid expansion via ballot referendum.

Since her inauguration, Gov. Laura Kelly has been a staunch supporter of Medicaid expansion, with the federal government offering to cover 90% of the costs of growing KanCare to cover over 130,000 low-income Kansans under provisions in the Affordable Care Act.

But a deal reached with legislative Republicans to authorize such a move fell apart in the waning days of the 2020 session, despite the support of Senate Majority Leader Jim Denning, R-Overland Park.

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