Top Republican and KS governor reach deal to expand Medicaid

Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly, a Democrat, and Sen. Jim Denning, the state’s top Senate Republican, announced Thursday that they had come to an agreement on Medicaid expansion, which would provide the state’s working poor access to health care coverage.

Though the announcement was not a bill signing, Kelly said that Denning, the senate majority leader, had endorsed her plan to expand Medicaid to provide health care coverage to more than 100,000 people in the state.

“Today, I am proud to stand with Sen. Denning to announce we have taken a crucial bipartisan step toward making Kansas the 37th state to expand Medicaid,” Kelly said.

Medicaid expansion first became available almost a decade ago under the Affordable Care Act. Fourteen states including Kansas, however, have continued to refuse to accept money from the federal government, which would pay 90 percent of the expanded program.

NBC:

Article submitted by, ScottInManhattan.