Two of the four Kansas lawmakers recently relieved of their health committee assignments are pushing back. They say their removal won’t stop the debate on Medicaid expansion.
Republican House Speaker Ray Merrick ousted Reps. Don Hill of Emporia and Susan Concannon of Beloit from the Health and Human Services Committee because they supported Medicaid expansion.
Interviewed over the weekend on KCUR’s Statehouse Blend podcast, both said if the speaker’s goal was to shut down discussion, it’s not working.
Hill says it’s raised the profile of the issue among his constituents and angered them.
“The response I’ve had from my constituents has been overwhelming. There is a sentiment that they’ve been deprived of voice,” he says.
Concannon says the closure of a hospital in southeast Kansas and other factors are generating momentum for expansion. She says despite continued strong opposition, it’s not a question of if Medicaid will be expanded to cover more poor adults, it’s a question of when.
