Senate Republican leaders 'never even tried' to help uninsured Kansans, governor says

TOPEKA -- Gov. Laura Kelly blasted Senate Republican leadership Friday for refusing to negotiate on Medicaid expansion, calling their opposition “politics at its worst.”

In her first news conference since the end of the legislative session, Kelly said the Senate clearly had the votes to pass a Medicaid bill, but that the measure was bottled up in committee by Senate President Susan Wagle, R-Wichita, and other conservative Republicans.

She said Medicaid supporters couldn’t muster enough votes to override them and get it to the floor.

“Because of these individuals, thousands of Kansans will go without health care for another year,” Kelly said. “For some, a year without health care could very well make the difference between life and death.”

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