By SJ Otto
For eight long years,
Kansans have fought to for Medicaid expansion, which is supposed to be a part
of Obamacare (Affordable Care Act or ACA). All this time it was blocked by our
anti-progressive, far-far-far to-the-right governor Sam Brownback. First there
was an effort to remove and replace the far-far-far-right, anti-healthcare
politicians from the Kansas
legislature. That effort and those elections were successful. Then there was a
tough governor’s campaign and we finally got a progressive Democrat, Laura
Kelly elected. Expanding Medicaid was a key campaign promise. It is something
that the majority of the Kansas ’
people want. Many of us need it.
I for one could make use of
it. I have had a really terrible health plan through Obamacare. I am 64 years
old and I have a lot of health issues. I was on my wife’s health insurance, but
she retired last year. Now she has Medicare, but I am too young for that. My
Obamacare plan was over $200 a month and I would have to have already spent
more than $2,000 before the plan paid for anything. And the policy is only good
for three months so I had to renew it each three months. I would have to have
spent my $2,000 within that three month period for that policy to do me any
good. I have been told that Kansas is one of
the worst states to be in the US
for Obamacare to do any good.
Given all of this, it is
infuriating that just a tiny handful of conservative Republicans worked so hard
to kill Medicaid expansion. Those of us who could make use of this can now kiss
it good bye for the immediate future.
Right now I feel like we
need to pull out all the stops to make life hard for those conservatives who
have made it their life’s work to make life hard for us; the working people,
especially working poor. Luckily I’m not alone. According to the Star
Tribune; “Kansas
lawmakers who support expanding Medicaid promised Friday to try to block
passage of the next state budget in a high-stakes standoff designed to force
the Republican-controlled Legislature's conservative leaders to allow (a
vote on) an expansion plan.”
There have
already been a lot of protesters trying to persuade the conservatives to
support Medicaid expansion. Again from the Star
Tribune:
"They need to go back to college," Suellentrop said.”
When it comes to conservative Kansas politicians, they never run short of insults for their political opponents. They are also arrogant and patronizing.
Also according to The Kansas City Star:
“Sen. Barbara Bollier, a Democrat from Mission Hills, was one of several who decried efforts to bottle up the bill and prevent a straight majority vote.
“To be denied that opportunity through maneuver after maneuver is abhorrent to me and should be to the entire state,” Bollier said.”
And I totally agree with that. Of the few Republicans who blocked this, some have already felt the heat. Again from The Kansas City Star:
“Tensions between Kelly and (Jim) Denning over Medicaid heightened last week when a negotiating session between the governor and Senate Republicans fell apart.
In an interview with The Star Monday, Denning accused Kelly of threatening his political future and expressing “viciousness towards me personally.” Kelly’s chief of staff, Will Lawrence, disputed Denning’s assertion.”
Denning was one of the conservatives that helped block Medicaid expansion. He should feel threatened. He has hurt a lot of people. He and Susan Wagle have worked hard to block this needed legislation. They deserve to be attacked politically at every corner. They need to have their careers damaged. We need to be out to get these people and they need to feel the heat.
Pix by Medicaid Expansion under the Affordable Care Act -
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