TOPEKA — Gov. Laura Kelly sent letters to the five Republicans and one Democrat in the Kansas congressional delegation urging the federal lawmakers to resist pressure to vote for Medicaid cuts that would deny health care to the most vulnerable people in the state.
Kelly, a Democrat who has campaigned for expansion of Medicaid in Kansas, said the latest proposal in Congress could cost the state up to $1 billion in federal funding in the first year of implementation. That would have a substantial effect on coverage for about 443,000 low-income seniors, children, pregnant mothers and people with disabilities.
“We must stand up against these changes to ensure the hundreds of thousands of Kansans covered under Medicaid can continue to receive quality, affordable care,” Kelly said in a letter released Monday. “Significant cuts to the Medicaid program will directly affect Kansans across the state, regardless of their political views. These cuts would be particularly detrimental to our rural hospitals and providers.”
KELLY, chair of the Democratic Governors Association, said 64% of the state’s rural hospitals were at risk of closing and diminishing Medicaid funding would further strain those hospitals. She said the damage could come in the form of lower reimbursement rates to health providers or through growth of uncompensated care for individuals who lost coverage.
She said the decision by the Kansas Legislature to block expansion of eligibility for Medicaid meant the state’s hospitals currently carry a higher burden of charity care.
So far, the governor said, refusal to take advantage of the Affordable Care Act provisions broadening eligibility for Medicaid meant Kansas turned away approximately $7 billion in federal funding that would have flowed through the state’s health care economy during the past decade.
KANSAS HOUSE Speaker Dan Hawkins, a Wichita Republican who indicated interest in running for state insurance commissioner, said President Donald Trump and his allies were working to the cost of Medicaid to make certain it was sustainable for years to come.
“Our country cannot continue spending money like drunken sailors,” Hawkins said. “I applaud the Trump administration and those in our federal delegation for their efforts to preserve Medicaid.”
He said it was wrong for states to enroll “able-bodied adults” in the Medicaid program designed for the frail, elderly and disabled as well as children. He endorsed imposition of work requirements for adults in Medicaid ranging in age from 18 to 60 who weren’t pregnant or disabled.
“Governor Kelly should be less concerned about leading the DGA resistance to President Trump and focus more on the best interests of the country, the people of Kansas and the long-term future of Medicaid,” Hawkins said.
IN RESPONSE to the governor’s letter, U.S. Rep. Sharice Davids of Kansas said her GOP colleagues in Congress should reject large federal cuts to Medicaid enacted to help pay for tax breaks to wealthy Americans.
“I stand with Governor Kelly in urging all federal leaders to reject these devastating Medicaid cuts,” the 3rd District Democrat said. “I’ve fought time and again to protect and expand Medicaid in Kansas because our families shouldn’t have to pay more or travel farther just to get the health care they need.”
