Kansas City, — U.S. Rep. Sharice Davids emphasized her opposition to federal Medicaid cuts on Friday, blaming “failure of leadership” in Topeka for the Legislature’s refusal to expand Kansas’ Medicaid program.
Davids, a fourth-term Democrat, voted Tuesday against what she called a “partisan bill,” referring to a budget measure that narrowly passed the House. Over the next decade, the measure could cut Medicaid by nearly $900 billion.
Davids and local advocates spoke Friday at a family health clinic in Kansas City, Kansas, emphasizing the dire consequences of cutting Medicaid funding. Earlier this week, state advocates gathered reporters at the Statehouse in Topeka to condemn the proposed cuts and raise awareness about their potential impact on Kansans.
Davids stated that she would continue to vote against Medicaid cuts and expressed her support for Medicaid expansion in Kansas, which has been repeatedly opposed by Republican leaders.
“I would go so far as to say we’re seeing a failure of leadership in Topeka,” says Davids. “There is overwhelming support from communities across our state, and this is not a partisan issue.”
More than 427,000 Kansans rely on Medicaid for health insurance, and Medicaid covers approximately three out of every five births in the state. Children, seniors, and people with disabilities are expected to be the hardest hit by cuts.
Rural Kansans are also more vulnerable due to the already precarious state of rural hospitals, according to Davids, who represents Kansas’ 3rd District, which includes Anderson, Franklin, Johnson, and Miami counties, as well as half of Wyandotte County.
If Medicaid was expanded, an estimated 150,000 more Kansans would become eligible for coverage.
The proposed cuts include limits on the amount of federal dollars delivered to states based on the number of people enrolled in Medicaid, known as per capita caps.
Medicaid expansion tends to increase enrollment rates. According to Rachel Neumann, chief operating officer of COF Training Services, an Ottawa-based disability services organization, states that have expanded their programs are likely to see higher per capita caps and more federal funding than the ten states that have not expanded Medicaid.
“So since Kansas is not one of those states, we would potentially be receiving less money during those per capita caps and be one of the smaller recipients of Medicaid dollars, which we’re already pretty limited on,” Neumann told reporters.
On top of cuts, enhanced subsidies implemented in 2021 under the pandemic-era American Rescue Plan Act are set to expire at the end of 2025, implying that those enrolled in the Affordable Care Act will face premium increases of at least 75%. Without increased subsidies, enrollment is expected to fall, with some individuals becoming completely uninsured.
According to Neumann, the cuts are more than just budget numbers.
She went further: “They represent real harm to real people.”
