The Kansas House of Representatives has approved a statewide Medicaid expansion—but the deal isn’t done yet.
As The Wichita Eagle reports,on Wednesday Kansas took a huge step toward expanding healthcare to some 150,000 uninsured Kansans. The move is part of newly elected Gov. Laura Kelly’s promised health care initiative. However, many Republican lawmakers continue to propose the idea, noting the $47 million price tag. Some GOP leaders have also indicated skepticism that the plan will help beleaguered rural hospitals. The House has not yet voted on the plan’s underlying bill.
If that measure passes, it will go on to the Senate, where it faces string headwinds. Republican Senate President Susan Wagle opposes Medicaid expansion in Kansas, and she has hinted that she not even let the legislation come up for debate in the upper house.
However, some GOP lawmakers are in favor of expansion. Republican Rep. Tom Cox has said, “Medicaid expansion to me is not just an ideological thing … it’s about real people’s lives.”