Kansas Lawmakers Approve Health Coverage Expansion Bills

The Kansas House on Monday voted 117-5 to approve a bill (SB 11) that calls for an additional $77 million to provide health coverage to low-income parents in 2012, the Kansas City Star reports. The bill does not address how the funding would be provided or whether the health coverage expansion would be based on public programs or private insurance. Other provisions of the bill would encourage the use of pretax wages for health care costs; provide grants to small businesses and other groups for health care costs; and offer low-income parents subsidies for private health insurance premiums. In addition, the bill would create a series of studies over the next year on options for changing the state's health care system. Also on Monday, the state Senate approved a bill (SB 387) that would subsidize the cost of private insurance premiums for low-income residents. The subsidies would come from federal and state funds and would be phased in over four years. Families with annual incomes of less than 50% of the federal poverty level would gain eligibility during the first two years, followed by families with incomes between 50% and 100% of the poverty level. Subsidies would be provided on a sliding scale based on income. An estimated 8,500 people would participate in the first phase of the subsidy, costing the state about $7 million (Kelly, Kansas City Star, 4/3). Gov. Kathleen Sebelius (D) in a statement said, "I am pleased that the House today, in an overwhelming majority, joined the Senate in taking a step toward providing more Kansans with affordable health care" (Hanna, AP/Wichita Eagle, 4/3).


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