This is our testimony in support of HB 2044 in the Senate Committee on Public Health and Welfare. This bill has passed the House, and now is being considered by the Senate, and this is the first step. If it clears this committee, it will be available for a vote in the full Senate. You can download a pdf copy of our testimony here.

Testimony to Senate Committee on Public Health and Welfare
Chair, Sen. Vicki Schmidt
Hearing: Monday, March 20, 2017

Position – SUPPORT HB 2044

Chairwoman Schmidt, and Members of the Committee, 

The MainStream Coalition supports HB 2044, building a bridge to KanCare for 150,000 Kansans who cannot afford or do not qualify for subsidized healthcare care services. 

This legislation will not only improve the health outcomes of those Kansas individuals and families who would receive care, among them thousands of veterans, it will improve the health of Kansas herself. Independent studies have shown that closing the Medicaid gap in Kansas would incur a minimal cost to the state, while creating thousands of jobs, protecting rural communities, and controlling escalating insurance costs that threaten health care for every Kansan.

Federal authorities have weighed in on the flaws in KanCare, among them the lack of coverage for many Kansans. We owe it to our citizens to fix these problems. Federal health care legislation, both as it stands now, and as proposed by current Congressional leadership, continues to offer expansion funding for states.

Now is the time for Kansas to stand up for all of its citizens, to enhance our standing among the states, and to bring healthier outcomes, more jobs, and millions of dollars of health care funding to our citizens.

We urge you to support HB 2044 for passage to the full House.

Thank you,

Brandi Fisher
Executive Director, MainStream Coalition