KHI NEWS SERVICE
TOPEKA, March 15
The House on Thursday voted down an amendment that would have added $4.2 million to one of its first major spending bills of the year to finance Gov. Kathleen Sebelius” plan to extend health insurance to more Kansas children ages 5 and under.
The amendment to House Bill 2542 offered by Rep. Barbara Ballard, D-Lawrence, was rejected 67-55. Her amendment also included some funding for childhood obesity initiatives.
Without saying how much should be spent to do it, Sebelius asked legislators during her State of the State address in January to come up with a plan for providing health insurance for all Kansans. But her budget proposal delivered the next day specifically asked for the dollars needed to expand coverage to more young children.
Sebelius” plan was to subsidize insurance for Kansas children and pregnant women who live at or below 300 percent of federal poverty guidelines. The current cut-off point for state assistance is 200 percent of the Federal Poverty Level (FPL), which, for a family of three is $33,200. Income for a family of three at 300 percent of federal poverty level, is $49,800, a figure most House Republicans considered too high.
House Minority Leader Dennis McKinney, D-Greensburg, said the amendment”s failure was a disappointing message for the Legislature to send the Kansas public.
“Budget bills are a statement of values, about what is important to the state,” he said. “My frustration with this session is that we”re willing to give tax breaks to out-of-state corporations but we”re not willing to address issues that affect working families.”
But Republicans said they feared extending the eligibility to 300 percent of poverty would encourage some who already have private insurance to abandon it for the state program. The House GOP has its own health care plan, which
is expected to take bill form next week.
Rep. Peggy Mast, R-Emporia, is vice chairman of the House GOP health care task force, which developed the GOP plan. She said she and task force chairman, Rep. Jeff Colyer, R-Overland Park, met recently with top officials from Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and were told that the federal government is “discouraging” expansions of programs that rely on Medicaid or SCHIP dollars. House Republicans instead are keen on pursuing federal waivers that would allow Medicaid dollars to be used to subsidize private insurance premiums for low-income households.
Some Democrats said they were heartened that Ballard”s amendment gained a few Republican votes, interpreting that as a signal the governor”s proposal could gain favor before the session is over. No Democrat voted against the amendment.
Also on Thursday, the House voted to spend $1.2 million to expand the states” newborn screening program. Currently, Kansas screens newborns for only seven serious but treatable genetic disorders. The added money would allow screening for 29 disorders, the number recommended by the American College of Medical Genetics.
The House on Thursday also gave final approval to House Bill 2530, which would exempt professional services by health care providers from the Kansas Consumer Protection Act.