Kansas Governor Laura Kelly has announced a bill for the next legislative session that will expand Medicaid to another 150,000 Kansans.
During a visit to Holton Hospital on Thursday, the Governor announced the Cutting Healthcare Costs for All Kansans Act. She said it would expand the health insurance program at no additional cost to state taxpayers, and it builds on previous bipartisan proposals to address Republican concerns.
The Governor has completed a statewide tour called the “Healthy Workers, Healthy Economy” tour to promote Medicaid expansion. She said the bill would expand health coverage to working Kansans who currently make too much money to qualify for Medicaid but don’t receive health insurance through work.
The federal government pays 90 percent of the costs to expand Medicaid, with states paying ten percent. Kelly said the state’s share would be paid by drug rebates, a hospital fee, savings from higher reimbursement rates for existing Medicaid recipients, and additional federal funding.
Kansas Republican state senator John Doll said in a press release that the proposal addresses a lot of the concerns he has heard from GOP lawmakers. He said including a work requirement and multiple funding streams will ensure that Kansas taxpayers won’t foot the bill for the expansion.
