KANSAS CITY, Mo. — One day after Missouri became the 38th state to expand Medicaid coverage for low-income residents, Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly called on Republican lawmakers in her state to take similar action.
“Every single Kansas voter must ask themselves why, year after year, Republican leadership in the Legislature has blocked expansion,” Kelly said in a statement Wednesday morning. “…Republican leadership in the Legislature must stop playing politics with Kansans' lives and support Medicaid expansion.”
Kelly’s frustration stems from years of failed attempts in Kansas to expand the program under the Affordable Care Act. Earlier this year, it appeared expansion was likely after Kelly and state Senate Majority Leader Jim Denning, an Overland Park Republican, reached a bipartisan agreement. That plan, however, failed to be brought to a vote in the Kansas Senate.
Former governors Sam Brownback and Jeff Colyer were among the biggest reasons that Medicaid was not expanded earlier, with both citing cost as the main factor.
In her statement, Kelly said rejection of Medicaid expansion has left 150,000 Kansas residents without access to health care during the COVID-19 pandemic.
U.S. Rep. Sharice Davids, who will defend her 3rd District seat in the fall against Republican challenger Amanda Adkins, also joined the call for Medicaid expansion on Wednesday, urging state lawmakers to forego "partisan politics" and "join the rest of the region" in extending the health care coverage.
Across the state line, lawmakers in Missouri also blocked efforts to expand Medicaid coverage in the legislature. The issue was left for voters to decide after advocates collected enough signatures to place it on the ballot as a constitutional amendment.
Nebraska passed Medicaid expansion in 2018 but has yet to implement a program, while Oklahoma voters approved a ballot measure to expand the program in June.
The other states that have yet to expand Medicaid are Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Wisconsin and Wyoming.
The Associated Press contributed to this report
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