KanCare

Budget woes in Kansas have forced Governor Sam Brownback to do something he said he wouldn't do -- make cuts to the state Medicaid program, KanCare.

Kansas lawmakers have already forfeited a billion dollars in federal healthcare funding by not expanding Medicaid coverage. Guest Commentator Duane Goossen tells us that refusing to expand the program will continue to cost the state money and leave more than 100,000 Kansans without health insurance.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services says Kansas could help 34,000 uninsured residents suffering from mental illness or substance abuse if the state would expand Medicaid under its KanCare program.

The Lenten season is here. For Christians, it's a time of fasting and sacrifice that ends with Easter. Commentator Bob Schremmer says Lent is also a good time to let go of "indifference." In this Lenten message, he calls upon the faithful to care for the poor and sick.

Here is the audio of the 2016 State-of-the-State address at the Kansas Statehouse, delivered on Tuesday, January 12, 2016.

Here's a summary of the day's Kansas news headlines from the Associated Press as compiled by the KPR news staff.

Kansas lawmakers are looking for ways to save money. A committee has now recommended changes to KanCare to reduce the cost of medicine. But the move is controversial because it would withhold potentially life-saving drugs from some patients.

The state hospital at Osawatomie recently lost federal certification and the associated federal funding.

A new report claims that expanding Medicaid in Kansas would be budget neutral. The study says Medicaid expansion could even save the state money.

The Wichita Chamber of Commerce has endorsed the idea of expanding Medicaid in Kansas, but its support for the health insurance program for poor people is conditional.