Governor Kelly on Tuesday announced that her bills to provide affordable health care access for low-wage Kansans were introduced in committees of the Kansas House and Kansas Senate.
By expanding Medicaid, Kansas taxpayers will have access to health care services they are already paying for through federal taxes.
“I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: expanding Medicaid will not only provide health care to hundreds of thousands of hardworking Kansans, it will also boost our economy, strengthen rural communities, and bring hard-earned dollars back to our state.” Kelly said. “Expanding Medicaid has received the bipartisan support of 39 other states, including every one of our neighbors. We must get this done.”
In a release, Kelly’s administration says that Kansas taxpayers have paid more than $6 billion for affordable health care coverage through federal taxes but have yet to see a return on that investment. This program will be paid for with 90% federal funding beginning January 1, 2024.
If Medicaid is expanded, Kansas could receive an additional $370 million in federal dollars over the next two years, sufficient to cover the state’s share of expansion costs for up to 8 years.
If this legislation is not passed in this year’s budget, it will result in the loss of $70 million in State General Fund savings for the next fiscal year.
