NICK GOSNELL
Hutch Post
HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Kansas Governor Laura Kelly announced her plan to expand Medicaid in Kansas this week. Hutchinson Democratic Representative Jason Probst said it seems like the goal is to work together on it.
"You know, the plan that she put out really looks like an attempt to swat back all the opposition that's been raised over the years," Probst said. "It looks like the Governor has put together a plan to try to, in one place, try to put together a bill that addresses all of those concerns. That's what has been happening for the last 10 or 12 years in the Legislature. We have repeatedly put together different versions of Medicaid Expansion that attempt to answer the concerns that have been raised by Republicans. I think it's been pretty clear over time that it's not a functional opposition to Medicaid Expansion, it's an ideological opposition."
The question is, can it even get to the floor of the Legislature? That would require a change of heart from Republican leadership.
"Dan Hawkins is the Speaker of the House and Ty Masterson is the President of the Senate," Probst said. "If those two decide something is or isn't going to happen, that's how it goes. The legislative process the leadership to say this is going to happen. Now, the Governor has mechanisms to try to compel that. She's doing a very good job, I think, publicly with the messaging. She's going out all over the state carrying this message out and talking to everyone and I think that's a really powerful tool. She'll use that to talk to other legislators, who, in turn, you hope will put some pressure on leadership. There's probably going to be some negotiation with leadership directly, I would imagine."
Medicaid Expansion actually made it out of the Legislature once, in 2017, but was vetoed by then Gov. Sam Brownback.
"I'm glad we're having the conversation," Probst said. "I'm glad we're trying to elevate this issue again. It's been elevated a number of times in the past, but I'm hopeful this year that it gets a critical mass and that we actually get some movement on it and we actually start having a good faith conversation about what needs to happen. My argument's always been on this, the Republicans have a supermajority in the House and the Senate. They have repeatedly said no to this, but their saying no has not solved a very real problem that exists, which is, there are a lot of people in this state who are working in industries that don't provide health insurance. Those people are struggling and they don't have access to healthcare and we need to do something to address that problem."
The Governor's State of the State speech is scheduled for January 10, 2024.
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