State of Kansas Archives: on Health Care
Derek Schmidt:
COVID: Opposed prisoner vaccines; closing churches, schools
Throughout the pandemic, Schmidt has been at odds with Gov. Laura Kelly's decisions, including vaccine distribution to prison populations, school district mask mandates and attempting to restore the legislature's ability to revoke state-agency issued
regulation. Schmidt also issued a legal opinion in the early stages of the pandemic, questioning the state's authority to prosecute people who violate emergency orders.
Source: Associated Press on KSHB-41 on 2022 Kansas Governor race
Mar 9, 2021
Derek Schmidt:
Elected Attorney-General opposing Affordable Care Act
Schmidt was a Kansas Senate majority leader in 2010 when he made his first run for attorney general and unseated a Democrat after promising to push back against the Affordable Care Act championed by then-President Barack Obama.
Schmidt's participation in lawsuits with other GOP attorneys general have been a regular feature of his tenure.
Source: Associated Press on KSHB-41 on 2022 Kansas Governor race
Mar 9, 2021
Jeff Colyer:
Steadfastly opposed Medicaid expansion
Colyer became governor in January 2018 after Brownback resigned to take a diplomatic post. Colyer had spent seven years as
Brownback's lieutenant governor, overseeing the transition of Kansas's Medicaid program to managed care and steadfastly opposing Medicaid expansion.
Source: The Kansas City Star on 2022 Kansas Governor race
Mar 5, 2021
Roger Marshall:
He and family took hydroxychloroquine to prevent coronavirus
Marshall and his family are taking the antimalarial drug hydroxychloroquine preventatively against Covid-19.
He told The Wall Street Journal he "would encourage any person over the age of 65 or with an underlying medical condition to talk to their own physician about taking hydroxychloroquine" and that he's "relieved" Trump is taking it.
Source: CNN Politics on 2020 Kansas Senate race
Jun 20, 2020
Roger Marshall:
Government interferes with doctor-patient relationship
Government-run healthcare has not only harmed small business, but directly interferes with the doctor-patient relationship. We must repeal and replace these broken systems. In Congress, Congressman Marshall voted in favor of the repeal of the individual
mandate, repeal of the Cadillac tax, and the repeal of the medical device tax; all of which President Trump then signed into law. Dr. Marshall supports covering individuals with pre-existing conditions.
Source: 2020 Kansas Senate campaign website KansansForMarshall.com
Jun 17, 2020
Dave Lindstrom:
Transparency in price and services provided helps consumers
Transparency in both price and services provided are key to putting consumers in charge of both their care and their health care dollars. Providing consumers information to knowledgeably engage will over time be a disruptor to the cost of health care
delivery. There is pricing transparency, competition, and both consumer and physician engagement to deliver quality services and to achieve positive outcomes.
Removing the subset of consumers with pre-existing conditions to a specialized pool targeted to the specific needs of that population will ensure for them not only quality insurance coverage but more effective and personalized care without many of
the complexities of the private insurance market. The result for those remaining in the traditional individual market will be a return to less expensive market-driven premiums reflective of the insured's respective health status.
Source: 2020 Kansas Senate campaign website LindstromForSenate.com
May 31, 2020
Dave Lindstrom:
Let Medicare have power to negotiate drug prices
The federal government is the largest single purchaser of medications. In a sweetheart deal for the drug industry a law was passed prohibiting the government from negotiating the prices it pays for medications. The current scheme inflates not only what
the government pays out, but can also inflate the out of pocket cost for everyone from Medicare retirees to government employees and service members. Medicare Part D plan sponsors should have the same power to negotiate pricing as well.
Source: 2020 Kansas Senate campaign website LindstromForSenate.com
May 31, 2020
Barbara Bollier:
Supports Medicaid expansion & public option
Barbara has led the charge to expand Medicaid to strengthen hospitals and provide affordable healthcare to 130,000 more Kansans. She was a vocal advocate for patient protection, writing and introducing legislation to end the unfair practice of surprise
medical billing in Kansas. Barbara believes that Americans who are happy with their private insurance should be able to keep it. Others should have a public option they can buy into at an affordable rate.
Source: 2020 Kansas Senate campaign website BollierForKansas.com
May 28, 2020
Laura Kelly:
Ban gatherings over 10, including church, for coronavirus
A Republican-controlled panel voted to overturn an executive order limiting attendance at church gatherings and funerals in an efforts to control the spread of COVID-19.Kelly announced she was removing exemptions for churches and funerals from a
statewide order that limits gatherings of more than 10 individuals. The Legislative Coordinating Council then voted 5-2 along party lines to rescind the governor's order. The action invited confusion about whether there is no longer a statewide ban on
any kind of large public gathering.
"[This] confusing and overtly political attack [was a] a shockingly irresponsible decision that will put every Kansas life at risk," Kelly said. Governors in 44 states have imposed similar restrictions on church
attendance. But Republicans complained that Kelly had overstepped her authority by restricting religious gatherings. "It appears to be out of line, extreme and clearly a blatant violation of our fundamental rights," said Senate president Susan Wagle.
Source: Topeka Capital-Journal on 2018 Kansas gubernatorial race
Apr 8, 2020
Susan Wagle:
Unconstitutional to ban church gatherings for coronavirus
A Republican-controlled panel of Kansas legislative leaders voted to overturn an executive order limiting attendance at church gatherings and funerals, igniting a fiery rebuke from Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly.Kelly announced she was removing
exemptions for churches and funerals from a statewide order that limits gatherings of more than 10 individuals. The Legislative Coordinating Council then voted 5-2 along party lines to rescind the governor's order. The action invited confusion about
whether there is no longer a statewide ban on any kind of large public gathering.
Governors in 44 states have imposed similar restrictions on church attendance in the face of a deadly and contagious disease. But Republicans in Kansas complained that
Kelly had overstepped her authority by restricting religious gatherings. "It appears to be out of line, extreme and clearly in violation, a blatant violation, of our fundamental rights," said Senate president Susan Wagle, a Republican from Wichita.
Source: Topeka Capital-Journal on 2020 Kansas Senate race
Apr 8, 2020
Susan Wagle:
Bars Medicaid expansion without abortion restrictions
Wagle says she will not allow Medicaid expansion to pass through the Senate until her 'Value Them Both' bill has been passed. The bill would give the legislature the power to regulate abortion in the state. This comes after the Kansas
Supreme Court ruled it was a woman's constitutional right to an abortion. The possible amendment passed through the Senate but failed in the House, needing four votes. As a result, Wagle has stopped all forward movement on Medicaid expansion.
Source: KSN Wichita NBC-TV on 2020 Kansas Senate race
Feb 11, 2020
Laura Kelly:
Kansas must become 37th state to expand Medicaid
This must be the year Kansas becomes the 37th state to expand Medicaid. After weeks of tough negotiations and lots of give and take, we developed a
proposal that will not only expand healthcare to 150,000 Kansans, but also has the potential to lower health insurance premiums in the marketplace.
Source: 2020 Kansas State of the State address
Jan 16, 2020
Barbara Bollier:
Focus on inaccessibility of healthcare and unaffordability
Bollier graduated with a medical degree from the University of Kansas School of Medicine and completed a residence in Houston in anesthesiology. She retired from practicing medicine in 1999.She has emphasized healthcare issues throughout her
political career and has been a vocal proponent of Medicaid expansion in Kansas. Healthcare will be a key issue of her U.S. Senate campaign as well. She called the unaffordability and inaccessibility of healthcare a top issue.
Her focus on health
could draw her into the debate among Democrats over Medicare For All--the idea that Medicare, which provides health coverage to older people, should be expanded to cover all or nearly all Americans.
"I am not supportive of Medicare For All
mandates. That is not the way to go. I support maintaining Medicare and finding a path to have a public option that people can buy into," Bollier said, adding that people should be able to keep their private insurance if they are happy with it.
Source: Wichita Eagle on 2020 Kansas Senate race
Oct 16, 2019
Barry Grissom:
Focus on expanding health care access and affordability
[Grissom opponent Barbara] Bollier called the unaffordability and inaccessibility of healthcare a top issue. Her focus on health could draw her into the debate among Democrats over Medicare For All--the idea that Medicare, which provides health
coverage to older people, should be expanded to cover all or nearly all Americans."I am not supportive of Medicare For All mandates. That is not the way to go. I support maintaining Medicare and finding a path to have a public option that people
can buy into," Bollier said, adding that people should be able to keep their private insurance if they are happy with it.
Bollier's support for a public option appears to be a difference between her and
Grissom, a former U.S. attorney who said he wanted to focus on expanding health care access and affordability when he announced his Senate bid in July.
Source: Wichita Eagle on 2020 Kansas Senate race
Oct 16, 2019
Dave Lindstrom:
Supports a market-based approach for healthcare
When looking at healthcare, Lindstrom said he supports a market-based approach that provides cheaper and attainable care. "We need to work on that.
It's a shame that we have a policy that doesn't allow us to have a market-driven healthcare program, which would allow us to go from state to state," he said.
Source: San Jose Mercury News on 2020 Kansas Senate race
Aug 14, 2019
Laura Kelly:
Cover an additional 150,000 Kansans by expanding Medicaid
State Senate President Susan Wagle's meeting with the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) offers some insight into her ideological positioning in the fight with Kelly over Medicaid expansion. NFIB was the lead plaintiff in a lawsuit
against the Affordable Care Act--former Gov. Kathleen Sebelius was the defendant as HHS secretary--that resulted in a 2012 Supreme Court decision that found the federal government lacked the power to require states to expand Medicaid.The ruling left
the discretion to expand up Medicaid up to states. The Kansas Legislature passed a law in 2014 to require the governor to obtain legislative approval before expanding. Kelly, who was recruited into the race for governor by Sebelius, has made it her
mission to expand the program to cover an additional 150,000 Kansans after watching 36 other states and the District of Columbia expand Medicaid during the past seven years.
Wagle is firmly set against it because of concerns about the long-term costs.
Source: Wichita Eagle on Kansas legislature voting record
Apr 17, 2019
Susan Wagle:
Expanding Medicaid will break our back with debt
Wagle's meeting with the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) offers some insight into her ideological positioning in the fight with Gov. Laura Kelly over Medicaid expansion. NFIB was the lead plaintiff in a lawsuit against the Affordable
Care Act that resulted in a 2012 Supreme Court decision that found the federal government lacked the power to require states to expand Medicaid. The Kansas Legislature passed a law in 2014 to require the governor to obtain legislative approval before
expanding. Wagle was open to the idea of expansion in the past based on her family's own battles with cancer, but she's firmly set against it now because of concerns about the long-term costs. "It's going to break our back,"
Wagle said. "Health care is the primary driver of the debt at the federal level. And states are complaining to me that have passed expansion that they absolutely can't afford it. So we have to reform the system."
Source: Wichita Eagle on Kansas legislature voting record
Apr 17, 2019
Laura Kelly:
Expand Medicaid, without further study or compromises
As Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly urges lawmakers to expand Medicaid, the state Senate's top Republican is opening the door to a health care bill that would include provisions favored by conservatives, such as work requirements. But Senate President
Susan Wagle wants the Legislature to study expansion later this year and take up a bill in 2020. Kelly, who has made expansion her signature issue, said in the expansion debate the term "study" has come to mean "stall."
If Kansas increases eligibility in the program, which provides health coverage to low-income individuals and individuals with disabilities, to 138 percent of the federal poverty level, then the federal government will pay for
90 percent of the cost. For a family of four, that's $35,535 a year. The state's share of the cost of expansion has been estimated at somewhere between $34 million and $47 million a year.
Source: Wichita Eagle, "Medicaid," on 2018 Kansas Gubernatorial race
Apr 2, 2019
Susan Wagle:
Medicaid expansion is socialism
As Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly urges lawmakers to expand Medicaid, the state Senate's top Republican is opening the door to a health care bill that would include provisions favored by conservatives, such as work requirements. But Senate President Susan
Wagle wants the Legislature to study expansion later this year and take up a bill in 2020. She made clear that--as far as she's concerned--a Medicaid expansion bill that passed the House last month won't survive the Senate. "The governor just called for
the Senate to pass a bill that Bernie Sanders--a socialist--endorsed. And that's not going to happen in the Kansas Senate," Wagle said. Kelly, who has made expansion her signature issue, said in the expansion debate the term "study" has come
to mean "stall."
[Under Medicaid expansion], the federal government will pay for 90% of the cost. For a family of four, that's $35,535 a year. The state's share of the cost of expansion has been estimated between $34 million and $47 million a year.
Source: Wichita Eagle, "Medicaid," on 2020 Kansas Senatorial race
Apr 2, 2019
Laura Kelly:
KanCare-based Medicaid expansion to save rural hospitals
According to some reports, 30% of our state's hospitals are considered financially vulnerable. Just by expanding KanCare--the state's Medicaid program--we can help keep these important facilities stay open and provide affordable health care to
150,000 more Kansans--no matter where they live. To date, our failure to act has cost Kansas over $3 billion in federal funding. By Kansas Day, there will be a plan to expand Medicaid put before the Kansas Legislature.
Source: 2019 State of the State address to Kansas legislature
Jan 16, 2019
Jeff Colyer:
Helped privatize Medicaid as KanCare
The state must receive permission from the federal government before the end of 2017 to continue its privatized Medicaid program, called KanCare. That's not entirely a sure thing after federal officials denied an earlier request to keep
the program going. If Congress leaves Medicaid expansion in place, supporters will likely push to expand eligibility. Colyer, adamantly opposed to expansion, helped spearhead the creation of KanCare in 2013.
Source: The Wichita Eagle on 2018 Kansas gubernatorial race
Jul 27, 2017
Jeff Colyer:
Open meetings on KanCare instead of invitation-only
Colyer reversed course to endorse open-meetings for a working group focusing on problems with the state's privatized Medicaid program. Meetings of the full group and its several subcommittees should be open in the future.
Originally attendance was by invitation only. Lobbyists employed by the managed-care insurance companies hired by the state to run KanCare were admitted but at least one KanCare critic was turned away.
Source: Topeka Capital-Journal on 2018 Kansas gubernatorial race
May 26, 2017
Carl Brewer:
We all deserve health care, even the poor
Brewer and Hartman were both asked to address whether the state should expand Medicaid to cover low-income workers who make too much to qualify now, but don't make enough to qualify for insurance coverage under the federal Affordable Care Act.
Brewer favors Medicaid expansion, saying that "We're all equal and we all deserve the opportunity" to get health care. Denying care to the poor is "like saying 'You're not worth it,'" he said.
Hartman said he understands that Medicaid expansion is an important issue for the survival of hospitals, but "We do not have the money here in the state of Kansas to fund it." Hartman, an oilman and restaurant owner,
is running as a business outsider and said that if he's elected, he'll use his business experience to identify waste in the state budget so that those dollars can be spent on something more important, like health care.
Source: Wichita Eagle on 2018 Kansas gubernatorial race
Apr 21, 2017
Wink Hartman:
Medicaid expansion is important, but Kansas can't fund it
Brewer and Hartman were both asked to address whether the state should expand Medicaid to cover low-income workers who make too much to qualify now, but don't make enough to qualify for insurance coverage under the federal Affordable Care Act.
Brewer favors Medicaid expansion, saying that "We're all equal and we all deserve the opportunity" to get health care. Denying care to the poor is "like saying 'You're not worth it,'" he said.
Hartman said he understands that Medicaid expansion is an important issue for the survival of hospitals, but "We do not have the money here in the state of Kansas to fund it." Hartman, an oilman and restaurant owner,
is running as a business outsider and said that if he's elected, he'll use his business experience to identify waste in the state budget so that those dollars can be spent on something more important, like health care.
Source: Wichita Eagle on 2018 Kansas gubernatorial race
Apr 21, 2017
Ron Estes:
ObamaCare must be repealed
ObamaCare has failed our nation. Promise after promise has been broken. Democratic leaders promised us we could keep our health insurance plans. This was not true.
We were told that ObamaCare would lower premiums. Instead premiums and deductibles have skyrocketed. Skyrocketing premiums force families to choose between necessities or health care.
That is wrong. ObamaCare must be repealed. Families and individuals in the 4th district should be the primary voice in making their healthcare decisions, not unelected Washington bureaucrats.
I support replacing ObamaCare with a state based free market solution that gives each of us greater authority over our health care decisions.
Source: 2017 Kansas House campaign website EstesForCongress.com
Apr 11, 2017
Sam Brownback:
Refusing ObamaCare like declining a discount on the Titanic
Amid much discussion and dissent, our Administration determined that early adoption of ObamaCare was not in the best interests of Kansas, and returned a $31.5 million grant designed to establish a Kansas exchange. Six years later, the wisdom of that
decision is obvious. Of the 23 state exchanges established under ObamaCare, a majority have failed, at a cost of billions including significant hits to state budgets. As major insurers abandon the few remaining state exchanges, the decision to
refuse early adoption looks increasingly like declining a discount ticket on the Titanic.
The same holds true for the policy choice not to take the bait on Medicaid expansion. You've heard the promise--hundreds of thousands more beneficiaries at
zero cost to the state--all paid for with 'free' federal money. It would be foolish to endorse the ObamaCare expansion of Medicaid now--akin to airlifting on to the Titanic. Kansas was right. Kansas should stay the course.
Source: 2017 State of the State address to Kansas Legislature
Jan 10, 2017
Roger Marshall:
Affordable Care Act is neither affordable nor caring
The most important issue in health care is the sanctity of the doctor-patient relationship. When government gets involved, prices increase and quality of care decreases. By interfering with the free market, government creates distortions that have led
to more government intervention. ObamaCare, or the so-called Affordable Care Act, is neither affordable nor caring--it must be repealed and replaced. Instead of health care costs decreasing and access growing, we have seen the reverse: it is more
expensive, less accessible, and less effective. Too many providers are now struggling to keep their doors open and Kansans are struggling to pay the higher cost of insurance.
Dr. Marshall is committed to using his extensive medical background to repeal ObamaCare and will fight to return health care to a system that is controlled by families, patients, and doctors - not Washington D.C.
Source: 2016 Kansas House campaign website KansansForMarshall.com
Nov 8, 2016
Patrick Wiesner:
Make ObamaCare work; repeal is unlikely
Candidates seeking the Democratic nomination for the senate seat, Monique Singh-Bey, of Kansas City, and Patrick Wiesner, of Lawrence, have opposing views of the Affordable Care Act.
Singh-Bey wrote that she would make no changes. "It is my desire to make the great state of Kansas a model state for the rest of the country," Singh-Bey said.
Wiesner said his job is to make the Affordable Care Act work. "Repeal is unlikely," he wrote. "Small business owners and the self-employed are seeing annual health insurance premium increases of
30 to 40 percent. I have a client family of five (all non-smokers) whose monthly insurance premiums went from $1,070 in 2015 to $1,450 in 2016."
Source: Salina Journal coverage of 2016 Kansas Senate race
Jul 9, 2016
Sam Brownback:
KanCare at state level better than ObamaCare
When we took office in 2011, I worked to modernize our Medicaid program. Today, we have higher reimbursement rates for providers, more services for clients and measurable health outcomes for Kansans who participate in KanCare. ObamaCare is failing.
It has increased healthcare costs in Kansas and especially hurt rural healthcare--it was ObamaCare that cut Medicare reimbursements to rural hospitals. We can and should find a Kansas solution that will improve rural healthcare access and outcomes.
Source: 2016 State of the State speech to Kansas legislature
Jan 12, 2016
Greg Orman:
Futile to repeal ObamaCare while Obama is in office
Roberts has been a consistent and vocal opponent of the Affordable Care Act, supporting its immediate and complete repeal. He called for the resignation of then-Health and Human Services secretary Kathleen Sebelius, a family friend, after problems with
the national website for insurance sign-ups. He has called for health care "reforms" following ObamaCare repeal, but he has not said precisely what those reforms would be.Roberts has supported health care spending at times.
He voted for the prescription drug benefit that was added to Medicare in 2003 and has supported federal efforts to expand health care delivery options in rural areas.
Orman has not expressed support for repeal of the entire Affordable Care Act
and says the Republican Party's repeal attempts are futile until President Barack Obama leaves office. But he has criticized Obamacare as an expansion of a "broken system" and says he would have voted against the measure had he been in the Senate.
Source: The Kansas City Star on 2014 Kansas Senate race
Sep 19, 2014
Pat Roberts:
Immediate and complete repeal of ObamaCare
Roberts has been a consistent and vocal opponent of the Affordable Care Act, supporting its immediate and complete repeal. He called for the resignation of then-Health and Human Services secretary Kathleen Sebelius, a family friend, after problems with
the national website for insurance sign-ups. He has called for health care "reforms" following ObamaCare repeal, but he has not said precisely what those reforms would be.Roberts has supported health care spending at times.
He voted for the prescription drug benefit that was added to Medicare in 2003 and has supported federal efforts to expand health care delivery options in rural areas.
Orman has not expressed support for repeal of the entire Affordable Care Act
and says the Republican Party's repeal attempts are futile until President Barack Obama leaves office. But he has criticized Obamacare as an expansion of a "broken system" and says he would have voted against the measure had he been in the Senate.
Source: The Kansas City Star on 2014 Kansas Senate race
Sep 19, 2014
Randall Batson:
Strongly opposes expanding ObamaCare
Q: Do you support or oppose expanding ObamaCare?
A: Strongly Oppose.
Source: Email interview on Kansas 2014 Senate race with OnTheIssues
Sep 19, 2014
Milton Wolf:
Repeal ObamaCare & replace with PatientCare free market
Question topic: It is the government's responsibility to be sure everyone has health care and a livable income.Wolf: Strongly Disagree
Question topic: The Affordable Care Act (ObamaCare) should be repealed by Congress.
Wolf: Strongly Agree.
As a medical doctor, I am well aware of the many reasons why we must fully repeal ObamaCare. I have authored a free-market alternative to ObamaCare, called PatientCare.
I believe we must fully repeal ObamaCare and replace it with a free-market alternative.
Source: Faith2Action iVoterGuide on 2014 Kansas Senate race
Jul 2, 2014
Sam Brownback:
Insurers to provide real-time information of benefits
Legislative Summary: HB 2668: The bill states the people of Kansas all benefit if health plans were required to provide real-time Explanation of Benefits (EOBs) on request when a physician submits an electronic claim predetermination
request.Supporting statement in Missouri Medicine: High deductible plans and high co-insurance plans now dominate both the private sector plans and the Affordable Care Act (ACA) Exchange plans.ÿKnowing the out of pocket costs of
non-emergency health care services is part of the informed decision process between a physician and patient. Patients need to know the financial obligation they will incur as well as being able to have time and ability to satisfy it. Knowing what out of
pocket expenses will be due is important in the rapidly changing health care environment.
Legislative Outcome: Passed Senate 38-2-0 on Apr/2/14; Passed House 97-27-1 on May/2/14; Signed by Governor Sam Brownback on May/12/14
Source: Missouri Medicine analysis of Kansas HB 2668 voting records
May 12, 2014
Jake LaTurner:
Insurers to provide real-time information of benefits
Legislative Summary: HB 2668: The bill states the people of Kansas all benefit if health plans were required to provide real-time Explanation of Benefits (EOBs) on request when a physician submits an electronic claim predetermination
request.Supporting statement in Missouri Medicine: High deductible plans and high co-insurance plans now dominate both the private sector plans and the Affordable Care Act (ACA) Exchange plans.ÿKnowing the out of pocket costs of
non-emergency health care services is part of the informed decision process between a physician and patient. Patients need to know the financial obligation they will incur as well as being able to have time and ability to satisfy it. Knowing what out of
pocket expenses will be due is important in the rapidly changing health care environment.
Legislative Outcome: Passed Senate 38-2-0 on 4/2/14; Sen. Jake LaTurner voted YES; Passed House 97-27-1 on 5/2; Signed by Gov. Brownback on 5/12
Source: Missouri Medicine analysis of Kansas HB 2668 voting records
Apr 2, 2014
Laura Kelly:
Insurers to provide real-time information of benefits
Legislative Summary: HB 2668: The bill states the people of Kansas all benefit if health plans were required to provide real-time Explanation of Benefits (EOBs) on request when a physician submits an electronic claim predetermination
request.Supporting statement in Missouri Medicine: High deductible plans and high co-insurance plans now dominate both the private sector plans and the Affordable Care Act (ACA) Exchange plans.ÿKnowing the out of pocket costs of
non-emergency health care services is part of the informed decision process between a physician and patient. Patients need to know the financial obligation they will incur as well as being able to have time and ability to satisfy it. Knowing what out of
pocket expenses will be due is important in the rapidly changing health care environment.
Legislative Outcome: Passed Senate 38-2-0 on 4/2/14; State Sen. Kelly voted YES; Passed House 97-27-1 on 5/2; Signed by Gov. Brownback on 5/12
Source: Missouri Medicine analysis of Kansas HB 2668 voting records
Apr 2, 2014
Susan Wagle:
Insurers to provide real-time information of benefits
Legislative Summary: HB 2668: The bill states the people of Kansas all benefit if health plans were required to provide real-time Explanation of Benefits (EOBs) on request when a physician submits an electronic claim predetermination
request.Supporting statement in Missouri Medicine: High deductible plans and high co-insurance plans now dominate both the private sector plans and the Affordable Care Act (ACA) Exchange plans.ÿKnowing the out of pocket costs of
non-emergency health care services is part of the informed decision process between a physician and patient. Patients need to know the financial obligation they will incur as well as being able to have time and ability to satisfy it. Knowing what out of
pocket expenses will be due is important in the rapidly changing health care environment.
Legislative Outcome: Passed Senate 38-2-0 on 4/2/14; State Sen. Wagle voted YES; Passed House 97-27-1 on 5/2; Signed by Gov. Brownback on 5/12
Source: Missouri Medicine analysis of Kansas HB 2668 voting records
Apr 2, 2014
Milton Wolf:
Apologizes for posting gruesome medical X-rays on Facebook
Milton Wolf sought forgiveness Sunday from anyone offended by his posting to Facebook of gory medical images of dead & injured people.Wolf responded to a story published by The Topeka Capital-Journal and a tidal wave of condemnation about X-ray imager
he uploaded to the social media site and sadistic jokes he made online about individuals killed by gunfire or harmed in other ways. "Several years ago, I made some comments about these images that were insensitive to the seriousness of what the images
revealed," Wolf, a radiologist, said. "I soon removed those images. However, my mistakes are my own & I take full responsibility for them."
He said the cumulative effect of witnessing human suffering & tragedy took a toll on those practicing medicine,
but "I am truly sorry and ask for your forgiveness."
Wolf also held his "political adversary" responsible for igniting controversy about the images. He said Roberts "wants to attack me as a doctor rather than giving Kansans a reason to vote for him."
Source: Topeka Capital-Journal AdWatch on 2014 Kansas Senate race
Feb 23, 2014
Pat Roberts:
First to call for Sebelius resignation over ObamaCare fiasco
Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius is on the hot seat as the Obama administration battles to rebound from a problem-plagued rollout of the Affordable Care Act [and the ObamaCare website healthcare.gov]. She set off a fresh round of GOP
criticism after she said those calling for her resignation were "people who I don't work for and who do not want this program to work in the first place."Sen. Pat Roberts, a Republican from her home state of Kansas who stood by her side more than
four years ago when President Obama announced her nomination, was the first lawmaker to call for her resignation.
Todd Tiahrt, a former GOP congressman from Kansas, said that the call for Sebelius' ouster is merited. "Look at a parallel situation in
the private sector of a CEO being hired by a board of directors to implement something that they have heavily invested in," Tiahrt said. "If it comes to a disaster, I would venture to guess that the CEO would immediately be withdrawn and fired. "
Source: USA Today reporting on 2014 Kansas Senate race
Oct 29, 2013
Todd Tiahrt:
Calls for Sebelius resignation over ObamaCare fiasco
Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius is on the hot seat as the Obama administration battles to rebound from a problem-plagued rollout of the Affordable Care Act [and the ObamaCare website healthcare.gov]. She set off a fresh round of GOP
criticism after she said those calling for her resignation were "people who I don't work for and who do not want this program to work in the first place."Sen. Pat Roberts, a Republican from her home state of Kansas who stood by her side more than
four years ago when President Obama announced her nomination, was the first lawmaker to call for her resignation.
Todd Tiahrt, a former GOP congressman from Kansas, said that the call for Sebelius' ouster is merited. "Look at a parallel situation in
the private sector of a CEO being hired by a board of directors to implement something that they have heavily invested in," Tiahrt said. "If it comes to a disaster, I would venture to guess that the CEO would immediately be withdrawn and fired. "
Source: USA Today reporting on 2014 Kansas Senate race
Oct 29, 2013
Milton Wolf:
ObamaCare extends "crony health care" which began in 1929
While we certainly have problems, America still has the finest health care system in the world. That patients flee their government-run systems--like Great Britain's and Canada's--and flock to America for our medical miracles should be an obvious clue
to not recreate their failures; obvious to everyone, that is, except ObamaCare supporters.While the Constitution does not give the federal government the authority to interfere with our health care, the big-government types have been at work
for decades and have, by any fair assessment, wreaked havoc. The first health care waiver was granted in 1929 when the American Medical Association successfully lobbied that Blue Cross be exempt from certain regulations and taxes.
Thus began the era of crony health care where Big Government's friends were more equal than the rest of us.
Source: Milton Wolf OpEd on FoxNews.com: 2014 Kansas Senate race
May 10, 2011
Milton Wolf:
ObamaCare turns health insurers into public utilities
ObamaCare mandates that every free citizen purchase state-sanctioned insurance while it increases taxes (on everything from tampons and tanning salons to gold and the sale of your home); it increases spending even more; it turns health insurance
companies into public utilities; it eliminates proven free-market reforms and it sets in place the mechanism for health care rationing. What's more, ObamaCare has been ruled unconstitutional.The unkeepable promises of ObamaCare are, as we say in
medicine, too numerous to count, and are already collapsing. You can keep your current doctor and your current insurance. No tax increases. No rationing. Reduce the deficit. Four million new jobs created--"400,000 almost immediately." Public hearings.
These are the pathetic peddlings of false hope.
The President made yet another empty promise: if there was a way to solve our health care problems with the free market, he said, he'd be happy to do so. I'm calling his obvious bluff.
Source: Milton Wolf OpEd on FoxNews.com: 2014 Kansas Senate race
May 10, 2011
Milton Wolf:
Free market solutions ALREADY work; so add more
The President made an empty promise: if there was a way to solve our health care problems with the free market, he said, he'd be happy to do so. I'm calling his obvious bluff. It's not just that free market solutions will work, it's that they already
are! Areas like Lasik eye surgery, cosmetic surgery and even medical tourism have seen medical costs decrease and patient satisfaction soar. There are numerous reform measures Americans deserve; key among them are these:- Tax Fairness.
Allow Americans to purchase their own insurance without a tax penalty.
- End state insurance and licensing monopolies. End the devastating boundaries that kill competition and drive up costs.
- Eliminate frivolous lawsuits.
You pay a "lawsuit tax" on everything from Band-Aids to open-heart surgery. The average obstetrician's malpractice insurance cost approaches $100,000 per year & they each deliver around 100 babies per year. That $1000 per baby "lawsuit tax".
Source: Milton Wolf OpEd on FoxNews.com: 2014 Kansas Senate race
May 10, 2011
Todd Tiahrt:
FactCheck: Yes, ObamaCare levies some taxes before services
Todd Tiahrt said in a House speech that ObamaCare will "collect higher taxes for 10 years and provide health care for only six years." Republicans have often charged that the Democrats are cooking the books. Is Tiahrt's statement true?The comment does
not tell the whole story. Two of the highest-profile and significant elements of the bill start in 2014. Health care exchanges would start that year, as well as subsidies to help people buy coverage on the exchange. And, yes, some of the tax provisions
that do start immediately: a 10% levy on indoor tanning, and an escalating annual fee on drugmakers.
So Tiahrt is correct that the bill's biggest expansions in coverage do not happen until 2014, and that some taxation begins well before that. But he
makes it sound like all the taxes hit immediately and there are no significant benefits in the first four years. In fact, the taxes levied in the early years account for a small percentage of the total dollars involved. So we find his claim Half True.
Source: PolitiFact FactCheck on 2014 Kansas Senate race
Mar 16, 2010
Mark Parkinson:
Enact a real public smoking ban
Let's ramp up our fight against cancer by enacting a public smoking ban. It is time. 24 states including North Carolina have done it. If the largest tobacco producing state in the country can enact a public smoking ban, surely Kansas can.Let me be ver
clear. I'm not proposing that we pass a watered down smoking ban. I do not want legislation that the tobacco industry writes, full of loopholes and not a real ban. 75% of Kansans want a real public smoking ban and I am asking you to give that to them.
Source: 2010 Kansas State of the State Address
Jan 11, 2010
Kathleen Sebelius:
Reauthorize SCHIP, State Children's Health Insurance Program
Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius, chair of the Democratic Governor's Association and Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue, chair of the Republican Governor's Association, are urging congressional leaders to reauthorize the State Children's Health Insurance
Program (SCHIP). In a letter sent to congressional leadership, the governors urged Congress to reach a consensus before the deadline:"There's been strong and steadfast support in both parties and in all regions of the country for the State Children's
Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) ever since its creation in 1997. This program has enabled millions of children the opportunity to see a doctor, to receive preventative care and to live healthier lives. Yet the progress we have made is now threatened.
For health and moral reasons, Congress must reauthorize SCHIP by September 30, 2007. Without timely reauthorization and funding, it will be virtually impossible for states to continue coverage for children already enrolled in SCHIP programs."
Source: Letter to Congress from governors of Georgia & Kansas
Sep 12, 2007
Sonny Perdue:
Reauthorize SCHIP, State Children's Health Insurance Program
Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius, chair of the Democratic Governor's Association and Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue, chair of the Republican Governor's Association, are urging congressional leaders to reauthorize the State Children's Health Insurance
Program (SCHIP). In a letter sent to congressional leadership, the governors urged Congress to reach a consensus before the deadline:"There's been strong and steadfast support in both parties and in all regions of the country for the State Children's
Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) ever since its creation in 1997. This program has enabled millions of children the opportunity to see a doctor, to receive preventative care and to live healthier lives. Yet the progress we have made is now threatened.
For health and moral reasons, Congress must reauthorize SCHIP by September 30, 2007. Without timely reauthorization and funding, it will be virtually impossible for states to continue coverage for children already enrolled in SCHIP programs."
Source: Letter to Congress from governors of Georgia & Kansas
Sep 12, 2007
Matt Blunt:
Allow small businesses to form association health plans
With the signing of HB1827 by Gov. Blunt, access to affordable health care has been expanded for the 88% of Missouri’s employers with 25 or fewer employees. This legislation enables small employers to form association health plans under a common plan
design and premium structure to reduce costs and improve access in the health insurance marketplace. This is a tremendous tool Missouri’s small employers can use to access affordable health care, and in so doing, attract and retain quality employees.
Source: Rita Needham in Kansas City Star
Jul 24, 2006
Kris Kobach:
Support tax-free medical savings accounts
Kobach supports the following principles regarding health care.- Support a Patient's Bill of Rights which includes the right to sue when claims are denied.
- Expand eligibility for tax-free medical savings accounts.
- Establish limits on the
amount of punitive damages awarded in medical malpractice lawsuits.
- Support expanding prescription drug coverage under private managed care plans.
- Offer tax credits to individuals and small businesses to offset the cost of insurance coverage.
Source: 2004 Kansas Congressional National Political Awareness Test
Nov 1, 2004
Kathleen Sebelius:
Obtain better prices for prescriptions & services
I said I would find better, more efficient ways of delivering services to the more than 450,000 Kansans who rely on the state for health care. To help accomplish that goal, I created the Governor’s Office of Health Planning and Finance.
Its small but talented staff is already hard at work on plans to obtain better prices for prescription drugs and other health care services by leveraging our buying power in the marketplace.
Source: 2004 State of the State address to the Kansas Legislature
Jan 12, 2004
Bill Graves:
Eliminate waiting period for HealthWave child health care
For the third year, HealthWave -- our health care program for children -- is fully funded. As recommended by my Early Childhood Task Force, we have started the process of
eliminating the 6-month waiting period for families enrolling their children in HealthWave by adding more state general fund dollars. Eliminating the waiting period will allow us to serve more children.
Source: State of the state address to Kansas legislature
Jan 8, 2001
Bill Graves:
More funding for Medicaid matching & pharmaceuticals
We will match federal Medicaid dollars so that low-income women diagnosed with breast or cervical cancer can better access treatment for these all-too-common, yet curable, diseases. Until now, Medicaid dollars could only be used to screen for these
diseases; now they can provide treatment. Also underway is a pharmaceutical buy-back program to allow long-term care facilities to return to pharmacies unused medications for repackaging. We anticipate savings of at least $1.4 million a year.
Source: State of the state address to Kansas legislature
Jan 8, 2001
Jean Carnahan:
Supports Patient Bill of Rights
Jean Carnahan made speeches several days a week on her husband’s Senate campaign trail and worked on state legislation for better health care and education. She advocated the Equal Rights Amendment, gun control, & workplace child-care centers. “Democrats
in Washington are struggling to save Social Security, to strengthen Medicare, to pay down the national debt, to provide a patient’s bill of rights and to give targeted tax cuts that don’t harm services to the neediest in our society,” she said.
Source: Kevin Murphy, The Kansas City Star
Nov 4, 2000
Page last updated: Oct 13, 2021