Together We Can Move Kansas Forward
Where do we have Common Ground?
Can we agree that:
- It is important for all Kansans to have quality healthcare.
- Kansas tax money should stay in Kansas.
- Uninsured workers and medical bill debt hurt our economy.
Misconceptions Hurt Working Kansans
Misconceptions about Medicaid Expansion being too costly, hurting businesses, negatively impacting the Kansas economy, that increasing Medicaid enrollment will jeopardize the care of those already enrolled, and giving a handout to able-bodied adults who could be covered through their employer or low-cost insurance keep circling the conversation in our legislature. The truth is that 39 states have adopted Medicaid Expansion and facts, rather than speculation, can be found to guide decisions for Kansas. These facts can be found below, click the green text for links to the original source and more information.
Find the Facts
Facts about where we stand Today
Approximately 148,000 Kansans are eligible.
Medicaid Expansion would Fuel the Kansas Economy
- More than 23,000 new jobs would be created in the first full year of expansion. In addition to healthcare jobs, expansion would generate job growth in other industries, including retail and construction.
- The Federal government will pay 90% of the cost, by the end of 2023, Kansas turned away more than $7 billion in tax dollars. This comes from tax dollars that Kansans are already paying. Furthermore, studies have estimated states have received anywhere from 1.5 to 2.0 times their Medicaid expenditures back in revenues. Furthermore, states that expanded also receive a two-year, five-percentage-point increase in the federal matching rate. South Dakota and North Carolina, the most recent states to adopt Medicaid expansion, will gain an estimated $115 million and $1.6 billion in additional funding over two years, respectively.
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Expansion reduces the cost of healthcare all Kansans by eliminating the need for hospitals to pick up the tab.
- KanCare expansion will provide insurance coverage for small businesses while removing the penalties for not providing insurance for employees.
- Expansion enhances economic development and allows Kansas to compete with other states which have expanded Medicaid.
- Expansion would enable Kansas companies to be competitive with our surrounding states that have already expanded Medicaid.
- Expansion could save rural hospitals that are at risk of closing due to loss of
money from patient services and serving the uninsured. - When rural hospitals have to close, the physicians decide to move elsewhere.
- Rural communities need to have physicians in order to grow economically.
Healthier Kansas Helps Everyone
- Appoximately 148,000 Kansans are eligible for Medicaid Expansion, 66% of those Kanans are employed.
- About 7,400 veterans and their spouses would gain access to quality, affordable healthcare coverage
- Expanding KanCare supports a healthy and robust workforce.
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Expansion is associated with decreased mortality for all causes, as well as improvements in infant mortality. It directly enhances preventive care, as patients will now be able to visit a doctor.
- Expansion would provide preventive care and access to mental health and substance abuse disorder services.
Impacts on Working Kansans
- About two-thirds of those eligible for expanded Medicaid work or come from working families. Most are employed in the service industry, construction, or retail.
- Since 2014, working Kansans “employee share” of health insurance costs have increased 77% for family plans, but only 26% in non-expansion states and 25% in expansion states.
- Approximately 88,000 of new enrollees are adults who currently fall in the “Medicaid coverage gap,” making too much money in their job to qualify for Kancare, but not enough to afford insurance through the ACA program.
Vote for Candidates who will move Kansas Forward
With 50 Democrats, 115 Republicans, and virtually no moderates in the current Kansas legislature, compromise rarely occurs. Each year, Governor Kelly includes Medicaid Expansion in her budget, and each year legislators remove it. In a second attempt to expand Medicaid, legislators introduce an amendment on the floor of each chamber to put it back in, but fail.
2024 Committee Hearings
During the 2024 Legislative Session, Medicaid Expansion bills received hearings in both the House and Senate Health committees. In the Senate, Chair Beverly Gossage testified against Medicaid Expansion and did not attempt to pass the bill out of committee. In the House, Sen. Gossage once again testified against the measure, and committee members voted along party lines to kill the bill. Committee members who do not agree with Medicaid Expansion include Representatives Barth, Bergkamp, Bergquist, Blex, Bryce, Buehler, Clifford, Ellis, Gardner and Turner. Representatives Ruiz, McDonald, Oropeza and Vaughn voted in favor.
