A bombshell new report from the Kansas City Star exposes several Republican members of the Kansas state legislature for profiting off of the private insurance industry throughout their careers. At the same time, these legislators also all oppose Medicaid expansion that would increase access to health care for 150,000 Kansans, create 23,000 jobs, and inject $1.2 billion into the state’s economy. 

According to the report, Speaker of the House Dan Hawkins (R-Wichita), “works in insurance sales.” The two chairs of the legislature’s Health Committee, state Senator Beverly Gossage (R-Eudora) and state Representative Brenda Landwehr (R-Wichita) “also worked in insurance.” As the Kansas City Star reported, “Gossage regularly cites her insurance work opposing expansion,” and “works with some clients who may qualify for Medicaid if it was expanded.” 

Yesterday, the Kansas state legislature held the first public debate on expanding Medicaid in four years, with over 900 written testimonies in support of expanding Medicaid. Kansas remains one of only 10 states that has failed to expand Medicaid despite its benefits and popularity. As the Kansas City Star notes, “polling indicates the vast majority of Kansans support Medicaid. A recent poll from the Sunflower Foundation found that 68% of Kansans including 51% of Republican primary voters support expansion.” 

“We have always known there was no good reason for some Republicans’ opposition to Medicaid expansion that would increase access to health care for our neighbors, boost the economy, and create tens of thousands of jobs, but now we know the true reason behind their opposition,” said KDP Chair Jeanna Repass. “Our representatives should be working on our behalf to better our lives, not to boost their bottom line. Any legislator preventing Medicaid expansion from becoming a reality for our communities and hospitals must get out of the way. We will continue to work tirelessly to replace these legislators with common sense leaders who will fight for us -- not the insurance industry.”