Governor Laura Kelly today released a Medicaid expansion bill that will expand affordable healthcare to 150,000 more Kansans, protect and strengthen rural hospitals, and bring Kansas federal tax dollars back to the state.

“It’s long past time to expand Medicaid so that more Kansans have access to affordable healthcare, our rural hospitals can stay open, and the tax dollars we send to Washington can come back home to Kansas to help our families,” said Kelly. “This bill meets the unique needs of Kansas patients, hospitals, providers, and diverse communities while remaining financially sustainable.”

The Governor’s Medicaid expansion bill is based on the version of the 2017 Bridge to a Healthy Kansas bill that passed the House and the Senate and was later vetoed by Governor Sam Brownback.

“Kansans overwhelmingly support Medicaid expansion,” said Kelly. “They know it will mean access to quality, affordable healthcare and support for our rural hospitals. It’s time we listen to the people of this state and expand Medicaid.”

Kansas is one of just 14 states left that has not yet expanded healthcare to families who desperately need it.

“I’ve seen first-hand how illnesses are diagnosed late, and how Kansans have been hurt financially, by not having access to healthcare,” said Lee Norman, acting secretary of Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE). “I know we can do better, and this bill is a monumental step forward.”

To view the governor’s Medicaid expansion bill, click here.

“Medicaid expansion will benefit the state of Kansas, our families and our children in many ways,” said Laura Howard, secretary of Kansas Department for Children and Families and Aging and Disability Services. “It’s the most important tool Kansas can utilize to provide the necessary treatment and services to vulnerable Kansans.”