By NICK GOSNELL
Hutch Post
HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Kansas State Senate District 34 Democratic candidate Shanna Henry says Medicaid expansion is why she's running for the seat.
"This is the number one issue," Henry said. "We have spent way too much time stalling on this issue. We've been blockaded in our state legislature by former Governor Brownback's veto of Medicaid expansion. We have now lost to the tune of $4.3 billion of our Kansan taxpayer money since 2014 because we have not passed Medicaid expansion."
Henry sees it as an economic development issue.
"It's hard for our small businesses that aren't able to offer health insurance to their employees," Henry said. "It is very, very hard for so many people that I know personally that have no form of health insurance," Henry said. "This is drastically needed."
Henry is a Kingman County resident and she has seen what her hospital had to do to stay open.
"Our Kingman Community Hospital has lost over $450,000 in annual revenues if we'd have just had Medicaid expansion," Henry said. "We passed a three-quarter percent sales tax, just to keep the doors open of our rural hospital."
Henry is running against Dr. Mark Steffen in the November election to replace Republican Ed Berger. Berger also supported expanding Medicaid. Steffen is against it.