Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Kansas Senate Gives Preliminary Approval To Medicaid Expansion Bill
KCUR: KanCare Expansion Bill Now Just One Step Away
Buoyed by the failure of Republicans in Congress to repeal the Affordable Care Act, the Kansas Senate on Monday gave tentative approval to a Medicaid expansion bill after debating it for nearly three hours. A bipartisan group of 25 senators voted for the bill. All 13 “no” votes were cast by Republicans concerned about the cost of expansion and opposed to covering low-income, non-disabled adults. If it survives a final-action vote Tuesday, the bill would go to Republican Gov. Sam Brownback, whose spokeswoman reaffirmed his opposition to expansion in tweets during the debate but did not say whether he would veto it. (McLean, 3/27)
Wichita (Kan.) Eagle: Kansas Senate Votes To Expand Medicaid
The legislation in the Senate would expand eligibility for the program for people with incomes of up to 133 percent of the federal poverty line, which is $24,600 for a family of four. The federal government covers 90 percent of the cost of expansion, while the states pay the remaining 10 percent. (Shorman, 3/27)
Kansas City Star: Kansas Senate Votes To Expand Medicaid As Gov. Sam Brownback Doubles Down On Opposition
Opponents of the bill have spent much of the 2017 session downplaying the legislation’s chances because of uncertainty over how health care would change under President Donald Trump’s administration. ... But the opponents’ argument faded slightly after U.S. House Speaker Paul Ryan, a Wisconsin Republican, canceled a vote on a bill that would have repealed the Affordable Care Act and effectively barred states from expanding Medicaid beyond March 1, due to a lack of GOP support. (Woodall and Lowry, 3/27)
The Associated Press: GOP Failure In Congress Boosts Medicaid Effort In Kansas
Legislators and advocates in Kansas pushing to expand the state's health coverage for the poor to thousands of adults are buoyed by the failure of Republicans in Washington to repeal former President Barack Obama's signature health care law. ... The effort in Kansas could prove largely symbolic because Republican legislators remain deeply divided and Brownback is a longstanding critic of health care policies championed by Obama, a Democrat. Yet supporters have scored a significant gain by getting a bill so close to passage. (Hanna, 3/27)
Topeka Capital Journal: Senators Back Medicaid Expansion To Aid Vulnerable Hospitals
Financially fragile hospitals in Kansas — especially facilities in rural areas of the state — have a lot to lose in the Kansas Legislature’s debate about expanding Medicaid services. The Alliance for a Healthy Kansas reported 31 of the state’s 107 hospitals are financially vulnerable because each must grapple with costs of providing care to people who are uninsured. The Senate voted 25-13 on Monday to send the Medicaid expansion bill, House Bill 2044, to final action on Tuesday. Expansion would deliver Medicaid services to about 150,000 more Kansans. (Harford, 3/27)
