The incoming Democratic leader in the Kansas House of Representatives says he expects talk of expanding Medicaid in the coming legislative session. Expanding the program under the federal health care law would make more Kansans eligible for the government health care program. Kansas House Minority Leader Tom Burroughs, from Kansas City, Kansas, says he believes the state is leaving federal money on the table by not taking part in the expansion.
“We have industry leaders, such as our hospitals and doctors and CFOs that deal with the medical industry, asking us to at least have that discussion and bring it forward to see where we could make a difference in the economy,” says Burroughs.
If the state expanded Medicaid, the federal government would pay the bulk of the cost. In the past, Republican Governor Sam Brownback has questioned if the federal government will have the money in the future to continue paying its share of the expense to expand Medicaid.