Once stagnant, Medicaid expansion progresses in Kansas Legislature
"I don't think anybody knows what the feds are going to do," said
Health care advocates testified to a
Expansion supporters testified Monday morning, with opponents of the bill scheduled to do the same on Tuesday.
Lawmakers on opposite sides of the issue said Monday they expect the expansion effort to pass out of the committee and head to the
She lives in fear, she told lawmakers, because she does not have insurance.
"One emergency room visit or hospital stay could mean I would lose everything," she said.
Medical professionals and representatives of the
Choosing to not expand
Sen.
"Quite honestly, the real challenge is a man named
Gov.
Last month, Brownback said in a statement that expansion was not affordable and called it "bad for
Other conservative lawmakers, including Sen.
Masterson said he feels like states are being forced by the federal government to expand
Under the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare, states can expand
"Is it our role?" Masterson said after Monday's hearing. "It feels like extortion from the federal government to force us to participate in a federal program, expansion, versus them just changing it and allow our people to get on the exchange."
Less than a month ago, KanCare expansion looked to be moving nowhere.
But an effort on the House floor to amend the bill into another piece of legislation succeeded, and
The bill would expand the KanCare program to roughly 150,000 more people, supporters have told lawmakers.
That expansion would come from giving coverage to people under the age of 65 who made 133 percent of the federal poverty level or less, according to the bill.
The KanCare program already covers more than 400,000 people, according to the state.
Sen.
"Looking at the makeup of this committee it clearly passes out," Masterson said.
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