Pittsburg Morning Sun: Kansas Medicaid expansion debate begins ahead of 2020 legislative session

By Jonathan Riley | Oct. 31, 2019

PITTSBURG — Although the start of the upcoming Kansas legislative session is still more than two months away, discussion of an issue that is sure to receive considerable debate once it is underway — Medicaid expansion — has already begun.

Last week, a Kansas Senate committee endorsed a Medicaid expansion proposal written by Senate Majority Leader Jim Denning for expanding the government-funded health care program for lower income Kansans, despite concerns from some that it raises tobacco taxes and doesn’t include a work requirement for participants.

The plan endorsed by the committee differs significantly from an expansion plan backed by Gov. Laura Kelly and fellow Democrats.

“We need a Medicaid expansion plan that is simple, effective and sustainable for Kansas,” Kelly said in a statement. “We don’t need to create extra bureaucratic red tape, raise taxes, and create more hurdles to access to health care.”