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Kansas Medicaid expansion in doubt despite governor support
Source: Associated Press
Kansas Medicaid expansion in doubt despite governor support
By JOHN HANNA
38 minutes ago
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Democratic and moderate Republicans lawmakers worked together last year to try to make Kansas the latest state to expand Medicaid, only to see their bipartisan effort rewarded with a veto from former conservative GOP Gov. Sam Brownback.
The election this month of a governor who supports Medicaid expansion seemed to remove the biggest hurdle for those hoping to bring health coverage to thousands of the state’s poor. But it’s not that simple.
In the same election that put Democrat Laura Kelly in the governor’s office, Kansas voters also elected a more conservative Legislature. Any bill seeking to expand Medicaid will have a tougher time getting to the governor’s desk.
“I’m still looking at every possible way that we can stop that,” said state Rep. Dan Hawkins, a conservative Republican from Wichita who is chairman of the House’s health committee.
Republicans retained their large majorities in both chambers and will appoint the leaders of the committees, who can help them bottle up or kill legislation they don’t like. In this month’s election, conservatives gained at least half a dozen seats in the House and might replace the chamber’s majority leader, a moderate, with someone who leans further to the right. Hawkins is vying for the post.
-snip-
By JOHN HANNA
38 minutes ago
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Democratic and moderate Republicans lawmakers worked together last year to try to make Kansas the latest state to expand Medicaid, only to see their bipartisan effort rewarded with a veto from former conservative GOP Gov. Sam Brownback.
The election this month of a governor who supports Medicaid expansion seemed to remove the biggest hurdle for those hoping to bring health coverage to thousands of the state’s poor. But it’s not that simple.
In the same election that put Democrat Laura Kelly in the governor’s office, Kansas voters also elected a more conservative Legislature. Any bill seeking to expand Medicaid will have a tougher time getting to the governor’s desk.
“I’m still looking at every possible way that we can stop that,” said state Rep. Dan Hawkins, a conservative Republican from Wichita who is chairman of the House’s health committee.
Republicans retained their large majorities in both chambers and will appoint the leaders of the committees, who can help them bottle up or kill legislation they don’t like. In this month’s election, conservatives gained at least half a dozen seats in the House and might replace the chamber’s majority leader, a moderate, with someone who leans further to the right. Hawkins is vying for the post.
-snip-
Read more: https://apnews.com/77a1f0a666be47bb8a33f3eab8bc9392
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