Republican lawmakers in Georgia and Kansas have shot down attempts by Democrats to expand Medicaid in their states.
Kansas state Rep. Nikki McDonald, D-Olathe, shows off a stack of printed testimony in favor of expanding the Medicaid program in Kansas during a House Health and Human Services Committee discussion, Thursday, March 21, 2024, at the Statehouse in Topeka, Kan. The committee has blocked Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly's expansion plan.
Kansas’ Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly had expected federal funds and bonus dollars to cover the $715 million cost of expanding Medicaid, wipe out the state’s costs and even cover an additional $62 million in other social services spending. Democrats in Georgia claimed Republican leaders in the state’s GOP-controlled legislature had gone back on their promise to advance the Medicaid expansion bill in the Senate. The bill called for the state to buy private health insurance for uncovered, lower income adults. Private insurance could result in higher payments to medical providers than under Georgia’s existing Medicaid plan.
Republicans' rejection of Medicaid expansion has its roots in their opposition to Democratic President Barack Obama’s signature Affordable Care Act, which has the federal government covering 90% of the cost. Some conservatives also are wary of what they see as a major expansion of government.
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