By PHYLLIS ZORN

Staff writer

Sheldon Weisgrau, senior policy advisor at Alliance for a Healthy Kansas, will discuss possible Medicaid expansion at 10:30 a.m. Oct. 26 at Marion Community Center.

Weisgrau will share information about planned legislation in Kansas to expand Medicaid, which Kansas calls KanCare.

In March, the state House voted to make more low-income people eligible for government run health insurance, as allowed under the Affordable Care Act.

Thirty-six other states have expanded Medicare under the law.

The bill fell one vote short of getting onto the state senate’s calendar in May.

Gov. Laura Kelly has made Medicaid expansion a priority and lawmakers have said they plan to introduce another bill in 2020.

About 150,000 Kansans don’t qualify for KanCare but earn too much to receive subsidies to help them purchase private insurance.

People who have no income but who would be able to work do not qualify for either KanCare or subsidies.

Kansas legislators are discussing expanding Medicaid eligibility and providing affordable health care options for state residents.

Expanding KanCare is expected to increase the number of residents with insurance coverage, spur economic development, give financial stability to low-income families, and increase viability of health care providers and hospitals.

Kristi A. Pankratz, director of communications for Kansas Department of Health and Environment, which oversees the KanCare program, said 2,248 people in Marion County are enrolled in a KanCare managed care organization.

“We do not have a breakdown of adults vs. children, or how many might be enrolled in the fee for service — not assigned to a managed care organization,” Pankratz said.

Weisgrau’s talk is in conjunction with the Marion County Democrats meeting, but open to the public.