By NICK GOSNELL
Hutch Post
HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Most of the major issues before the state legislature are still out there as they go through turnaround week. Turnaround week is the week where bills that have passed one chamber get sent over to the other one. One bill that has hit a snag is Medicaid expansion.
"There were several amendments made to the bill," said Senator Ed Berger, a member of the Senate Public Health and Welfare committee. "Ultimately, the chair of that committee chose not to pass it out of committee, waiting on approval of the abortion amendment, saying basically that he would not move the bill forward until there was an amendment passed limiting abortions."
This is not the result Berger wants, as he knows how big Medicaid expansion is for his district.
"That's something that would be very beneficial to Reno County and Kingman County," Berger said. "I think, for Hutch Hospital, it would mean $6 or $7 million. For Kingman County Hospital, last I heard was about $450,000. That's significant revenue. Those hospitals are providing those services and are just basically not being compensated for them."
Berger doesn't really have a way to know if paying for uncompensated care through the insurance payments of those who do pay for care is cheaper or more expensive than taxing everyone to pay those costs through Medicaid expansion.
"Medicaid expansion is something that would, I think, improve the quality of life for Kansans and also the health of Kansans and improve the health of the workforce in the state," Berger said. "I think it just has a lot of benefits to be provided. I am a supporter of Medicaid expansion.
In theory, it would only take 24 votes to get the bill out of committee, if that's what the Senate would choose to do, but efforts to accomplish that failed to get the measure passed in previous sessions.