Today, we’re publishing candidates’ responses to the following question:
According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, Kansas is one of 10 states that have not expanded Medicaid in the more than a decade since the Affordable Care Act took effect, and it has remained one of our readers’ top issues every election cycle since. Projections suggest expanding Medicaid would allow roughly 150,000 Kansans who can’t currently afford health coverage to be insured. Do you support expanding Medicaid in Kansas? Why or why not?
Below are the answers the Post received from candidates on the issue:
District 8
Cindy Holscher (Democratic, incumbent)
I absolutely support Medicaid Expansion. There are apprx. 150,000 Kansans in the coverage gap; expanding Medicaid would primarily benefit the working poor who cannot afford insurance and aren’t covered by their employers.
Kansas has forgone $8 Billion in funds by not expanding Medicaid. That is money from our taxpayers being sent to other states to aid their citizens. As a result, we end up paying double as those without insurance must rely upon using the ER which has to be covered later.
Chambers, hospitals, business people, and citizens all across the state support Medicaid Expansion. It would appear the only people who don’t support it are the GOP extremists (many of whom are insurance agents) in the legislature.
It must be noted that 40 states have expanded Medicaid. It’s shameful that Kansas has not taken that same step.
Beneé Hudson (Republican)
The Kansas legislature has expanded the eligible cohort of people in need and the reimbursement benefits for Medicaid, however, they have not accepted full-blown expansion because it would bump able bodied Kansans ahead of disabled persons in the list of recipients.
We should help those who cannot help themselves, first. There are many ways to foster change in our healthcare system and I am willing to participate in a bi-partisan competition of ideas. I have worked in healthcare for 20 years as well as in the field of data science. I can utilize those two skills to help foster this conversation with facts and logic.
