Kansas Democrats Introduce Medicaid Expansion Bill, Face Uphill Battle in GOP-Controlled Legislature
HB 2600 would extend health coverage to an estimated 150,000 low-income Kansans; state remains one of 10 that have not expanded Medicaid under federal law
TOPEKA, Kan. — Kansas House Democrats introduced legislation Thursday that would expand Medicaid eligibility to adults earning up to 138% of the federal poverty level, reviving a decade-long push to extend health coverage in a state where an estimated 150,000 residents remain uninsured and ineligible for coverage. House Bill 2600, titled the Affordable Healthcare for Kansans program, was introduced by Rep. Suzanne Wikle, D-Lawrence, along with 33 Democratic co-sponsors, according to the official House Journal.
The bill marks the latest attempt to expand the state’s KanCare program under the Affordable Care Act, which Kansas has declined to do since the option became available in 2014. Unlike Medicare, the federal health insurance program for Americans 65 and older, Medicaid is a joint federal-state program that provides health coverage to low-income individuals, with eligibility and benefits varying by state. Kansas is one of only 10 states that have not adopted Medicaid expansion, joining Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Wisconsin and Wyoming. Neighboring Missouri, Oklahoma and Nebraska have all expanded their programs in recent years, mostly through citizen-led ballot initiatives — an option not available under Kansas law.
Under current federal law, the federal government covers 90% of costs for newly eligible Medicaid recipients, while states pay the remaining 10%. Supporters argue expansion would inject more than $1 billion into the state’s health care economy, create an estimated 23,000 jobs and help stabilize struggling rural hospitals. Opponents counter that expansion would create long-term state budget obligations and extend benefits to working-age adults they say should obtain private coverage.
The bill faces significant obstacles in the Republican-controlled Legislature, where the GOP holds an 88-37 advantage in the House and a 31-9 margin in the Senate — supermajorities capable of overriding any veto by Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly, who has made Medicaid expansion a centerpiece of her administration. House Speaker Dan Hawkins, R-Wichita, has consistently opposed expansion, arguing it would create disincentives to work. In 2017, a bipartisan expansion bill passed both chambers but was vetoed by then-Gov. Sam Brownback, and subsequent efforts have failed to advance past committee. Kelly’s most recent proposal, the Healthcare Access for Working Kansans (HAWK) Act, included work requirements in an attempt to win Republican support but did not receive a floor vote during the 2025 session.
Political observers give the bill little chance of passage in the current session, though advocates note that public polling consistently shows majority support for expansion among Kansas voters. The bill has been referred to the House Health and Human Services Committee, where its fate will likely depend on whether Republican leadership allows it to receive a hearing.
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