Kelly seeks to expand Medicaid for 150,000 Kansans
Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly has announced legislation to expand Medicaid, something she thinks will “boost” the state’s economy by providing 150,000 more people with access to health care coverage.
“Expansion would inject billions of dollars into our state, create thousands of jobs, help retain our healthcare workers in Kansas – and help rural hospitals’ bottom lines,” Kelly said in a statement Thursday.
If approved by the Legislature, Medicaid would be expanded to cover residents who earn up to 138% of the federal poverty level, with 90% of that covered by the federal government, according to the governor’s office.
Under the proposal, Kansas would get $370 million over the next eight years, and the state’s general fund would save $68.5 million in fiscal year 2023, funds that would “be reallocated for one-time strategic investments on housing, childcare, and workforce development.”
The proposal has the support of the Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce and the Overland Park Chamber of Commerce, as well as health care groups like the Kansas Health Foundation and the Kansas Hospital Association.
Americans for Prosperity Kansas criticized the proposal in a tweet, saying it “would not only cripple our state budget, it would limit care to vulnerable women, children, and the elderly that already rely on Medicaid for the care they need.”
The proposal would need the support of Republicans who control both the state House and Senate in order to pass.
This article was originally posted on Kelly seeks to expand Medicaid for 150,000 Kansans
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