Topeka Capital Journal: As Medicaid expansion talks falter, new study predicts little impact on Kansas budget

By Sherman Smith | April 24, 2019

A new analysis from a national health insurance advocate predicts Kansas could provide coverage to low-income families through Medicaid expansion without compromising the state budget.

The analysis, which traces savings from a spike in federal funding and subsequent tax revenue, coincides with a meeting Wednesday between Republican legislative leaders who remain firmly opposed to expansion and Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly, who wants them to pass an expansion package before finishing work next month. The two sides failed to reach a deal.

Families USA, a D.C.-based group that lobbies in support of the Affordable Care Act, looked at three Kansas-based studies and the rollout of Medicaid expansion in other states, concluding the burden on the Kansas budget would range from less than $1 million to a surplus of $7 million next year.

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