Kan. Medicaid debate may resume next year as feds emphasize flexibility

Kansas lawmakers may return to the question next year of whether to expand Medicaid. Meanwhile, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius says the federal government welcomes state experimentation with how health coverage to the poor is provided.

The Associated Press: Another Kan. Debate Over Medicaid Likely
Kansas legislators likely will have another debate next year over expanding the state's Medicaid program, despite the antipathy from conservative Republicans toward the federal health care overhaul that prevented such a move this year. The GOP-dominated Legislature inserted provisions in the state's current and next annual budgets to block an expansion of Medicaid, which covers health care for the needy and disabled (Hanna, 9/22).

Kansas Health Institute: Sebelius: Feds Flexible On How States Expand Medicaid
The federal government welcomes state experimentation when it comes to the Medicaid expansion encouraged under the health reform law, U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said Saturday. ... She cited examples of states that are expanding Medicaid using a private insurance model for higher-income Medicaid recipients and others that are incorporating wellness strategies into their programs (Sherry, 9/22).