Kansas Medicaid Advocates Ratchet Up Pressure On Lawmakers To Override Veto On Expansion
Several hundred people turned up for a town hall event in Olathe where many pushed Republican members of the legislature who oppose Medicaid expansion to change their positions.
KCUR:
Kansas Lawmakers At Olathe Town Hall Meeting Draw Boos Over Unwillingness To Expand Medicaid
About two hundred people on Saturday attended a town hall event in Olathe where they questioned nine Republican lawmakers about their positions on Medicaid expansion and school financing. Many held placards expressing support for more Medicaid funding. All of the lawmakers present were opposed to expanding the program and agreed with Gov. Sam Brownback’s decision to veto an expansion bill passed overwhelmingly last month by the Legislature. (Wood, 4/2)
KCUR:
KanCare Expansion Supporters Target Key Lawmakers In Campaign To Override Brownback Veto
Supporters of expanding Medicaid eligibility in Kansas are preparing to mount an intense lobbying campaign over the weekend to get the votes they need to override Gov. Sam Brownback’s veto of an expansion bill. The governor vetoed the bill on Thursday, citing concerns about the cost of expanding KanCare, the state’s privatized Medicaid program, to cover an estimated 180,000 additional low-income Kansans. He also objected to extending coverage to “able-bodied” adults as long as thousands of Kansans with disabilities remained on waiting lists for support services. (McLean, 3/31)
Modern Healthcare:
A Patient And A Provider Explain Why Kansas Should Expand Medicaid
Brownback argued in his veto message that the Medicaid expansion bill is bad because it doesn't include a strict requirement that all able-bodied adults find a job. “We cannot help our citizens build better lives without also incentivizing them to find a permanent path out of poverty,” he wrote. But Krista Postai, CEO of the Community Health Center of Southeast Kansas, said that's the wrong way to look at the issue. Her clinic treats many working people who don't seek preventive care because they lack insurance and can't afford to pay for those services. Even with the clinic's help, they often can't access needed specialty care. “We have people working three jobs with no coverage,” she said. “If you want to maintain a healthy workforce, they need to have preventive care.” (Meyer, 3/30)
The Kansas City Star:
Gov. Sam Brownback, Kansas Lawmakers Prepare For More Veto Fights
For the rest of his time in office, Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback will face a series of veto fights with a state Legislature elected on the promise of undoing his legacy. This will be the case whether Brownback remains in office through the end of 2018 or whether he leaves in the next few months for a job in President Donald Trump’s administration, a prospect that has been highly speculated. Brownback has used his veto power this session to block lawmakers from rolling back his signature income tax cuts and to prevent the state from expanding Medicaid through the Affordable Care Act to provide health coverage for 150,000 low-income Kansans. (Lowry, Shorman and Woodall, 4/1)
