By BECKY KISER
Hays Post
The U.S. Census Bureau recently released its American Community Survey one-year estimates, indicating nearly 250,000 Kansans lack health insurance.
Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly is determined to change that, despite the wall of opposition she's been up against, fronted by Republican leadership in the Kansas legislature.
The survey reflects data collected in 2022 to assess health insurance coverage rates across Kansas and the United States.
Kansas is one of just ten states that has not taken advantage of expansion. It is surrounded by states that have done so.
"That makes a lot of difference in where people are going to set up shop. Just getting affordable healthcare into the hands of working Kansans is incredibly important," Kelly said in a telephone interview with Hays Post. "But it's also what it will do for our economy, particularly in our rural communities.
"It's estimated it would create about 23,000 jobs if we were to expand Medicaid. It would bring millions, if not billions, of dollars back into the state."
By law, 90% of the costs to expand Medicaid would be funded by the federal government with the state providing 10% of funds to match.
"We've had 10 years now of opportunity to expand Medicaid, and in that time, we have left over $6.5 billion back in Washington, D.C., money paid in by Kansas taxpayers. That money is supposed to come back to Kansas. Instead, it's going to all the other different states that have expanded it.
"We're shooting ourselves in our foot by not getting this money back into our state," the governor said.
Kelly also referenced the worker shortage in Kansas. "By expanding Medicaid, you ensure that you'll have more healthy people who can work."
She said it would also save rural hospitals, which hugely influence the economy of many small western Kansas towns.
"We know that Medicaid expansion can sometimes make the difference between staying open and having to close.
"We've had six or seven hospitals close in our rural areas close since Medicaid expansion became an option. And about 50% of our hospitals right now are really close and just hanging on.
"We know from many, many visits to different hospitals that the one, or two, or three million dollars that Medicaid expansion would bring into those hospitals would make a world of difference in their ability to operate."
"If you're a physician, are you going to set up an office or clinic in a state that doesn't pay for Medicaid patients? Or are you just going to see them for nothing? I doubt it, not when you can go across the border and get reimbursed for that kind of stuff."
Kelly, a longtime supporter of Medicaid expansion dating back to when she was a state senator, said it would reduce costs for every Kansan.
On Wednesday, the governor announced that expanding Medicaid, known as KanCare, is her top priority for the upcoming 2024 legislative session.
This fall, she will make stops around the state to hear from Kansans how Medicaid expansion would directly impact them.
"We've estimated around 75% of the people who don't have health insurance are working, but they're working in jobs like fast foods or a child care center or a nursing home, places where they work hourly and they don't have benefits.
"A lot of the people who would be covered by Medicare expansion are already working; in fact, most of them are.
"Those who are not working could be for reasons such as they're taking care of an elderly parent or young child. They may have mental health issues.
"There will always be people who are not able to work who would benefit from Medicaid expansion," Kelly said, "but the vast majority are already working and don't have insurance."