A state senator from Arkansas took center stage Monday on the first of three days of hearings on a plan to expand Medicaid in Kansas. Arkansas was an early expansion state. Senator Brian King was asked to provide neutral testimony on his state’s experience. Instead, he took sides, characterizing Medicaid expansion in his state as an expensive failure.
A university economist who followed King told the Health and Human Services Committee that the Arkansas expansion program has saved millions of dollars in health care costs. Supporters of expanding KanCare, the state's privatized Medicaid program, will make their case to the House committee tomorrow (WED).