Kansas Fiscal Woes Forcing Brownback To Consider Medicaid Expansion

Source: TPM

Gov. Sam Brownback (R) and the Republican-controlled legislature in Kansas is inching ever so slowly toward expanding Medicaid under Obamacare. If Kansas did expand Medicaid, it would be the latest in a list of deep-red states—including Arkansas, Utah, and Indiana—to actually take federal dollars through Obamacare, despite having conservative legislatures and fire-breathing, anti-ACA Republican governors.

The chances of Brownback, who is facing an enormous budget deficit, signing into law a bill expanding Medicaid in the state is still far from a sure thing, but it became slightly more likely during some legislative maneuvering last week. Conservative legislators were forced to agree to hold a hearing on expanding Medicaid in exchange for getting state Rep. Jim Ward (D) to drop an amendment to an bill that would have simply expanded Medicaid in the state to 138 percent of the poverty line.

Brownback, who had previously expressed strong opposition to Obamacare, signaled Wednesday he wasn't totally opposed to a Medicaid expansion.

"I haven’t said we’ll take it. I haven’t said we wouldn’t," Brownback said according the Lawrence Journal-World. "Last year, I signed the bill that the Legislature passed [saying] that the Legislature had to approve any Medicaid expansion. I think that’s the way to go because it’s going to involve long-term costs. And the Legislature, that’s their primary authority."

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