Month: January 2020

Medicaid expansion is Kansas’ most pressing moral priority

By Rev. Jenny Jackson | Jan. 27, 2020 The issue of access to affordable health care is of great concern for the faith community, in Kansas and nationally. Kansas Interfaith Action has been working on this issue since 2016, and we believe Medicaid expansion is long overdue. Medicaid expansion is Kansas’ most pressing moral priority, […]

Proponent Testimony on Senate Bill 252

Dozens of advocates, business leaders, health care providers and others provided proponent testimony in support of Senate Bill 252 to expand KanCare.

Topeka Capital Journal: Denning discourages work requirements for Medicaid expansion

By Sherman Smith | Jan. 23, 2020 Senate Majority Leader Jim Denning defended Thursday the decision to remove work requirements from his negotiated compromise on Medicaid expansion, saying the restrictions are a waste of energy that won’t withstand scrutiny by courts or federal regulators. Denning, a Republican from Overland Park, joined health care advocates and […]

Iola Register: No time to lose on expanding Medicaid

By Susan Lynn | Jan. 13, 2020 We appreciate Gov. Laura Kelly’s cautious optimism that Kansas is on track to become the 37th state to approve Medicaid expansion. “We’re not here to declare victory,” she said in a press conference Thursday. “We need to think of this as more of a halftime pep talk.” Standing […]

Wichita Eagle: Kelly, Denning reach deal to expand Medicaid in Kansas. But lawmakers must still vote.

By Jonathan Shorman | Jan. 9, 2020 When Gov. Laura Kelly and Senate Majority Leader Jim Denning walked into the Kansas Capitol rotunda Thursday to announce an agreement on Medicaid expansion, the rare sight of the sometimes-rivals together capped roughly three months of negotiations that may pave the way for more than 100,000 Kansans to […]

KCUR: Kansas Paves Medicaid Expansion Path After Governor And Top Republican Break Partisan Logjam

By Jim McLean | Jan. 9, 2020 TOPEKA, Kansas — Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly and a key Republican lawmaker said Thursday they’ve crafted a deal to make roughly 130,000 more Kansans eligible for Medicaid. In a joint Statehouse news conference, Kelly and Senate Majority Leader Jim Denning revealed their compromise to expand the government-run health […]

Topeka Capital Journal: Gov. Laura Kelly, Sen. Jim Denning announce Medicaid expansion deal

By Tim Carpenter and Sherman Smith | Jan. 9, 2020 Gov. Laura Kelly and Senate Majority Leader Jim Denning outlined Thursday a bipartisan compromise for Medicaid expansion that was the product of 60 days of behind-the-scenes negotiation, ending a prolonged stalemate as lawmakers prepare to return next week for the start of the 2020 legislative […]

Topeka Capital Journal: Kansas may be at tipping point in campaign for Medicaid expansion

By Tim Carpenter | Jan. 8, 2020 OLATHE — Carolyn Thomas chose not to seek emergency care for a serious hip injury to avoid the burden of a staggering medical bill. Her inability to walk eventually cost her a job with access to health insurance benefits, dropping the caregiver of her deceased son’s four children […]