The Kansas Senate has voted to expand the state’s KanCare program…essentially the medicaid program in Kansas.

The bill now goes to the governor but the 25-14 vote in the Senate didn’t produce enough votes to override a gubernatorial veto.  The governor has not been a supporter of medicaid expansion.

At Geary Community Hospital the CEO Dr. Joseph Stratton explained medicaid expansion would bea plus for hospitals across the state.  “Essentially helps pay for uncompensated care, care we’re providing now we’re not getting paid for.” Stratton said that’s called bad debt and charity care.

Medicaid expansion has been approved in 30 other states. “I know for a fact in those other states and there’s been studies done that bad debt is going down and charity care is going down.”

Stratton estimated for Geary Community Hospital medicaid expansion would mean at least one million dollars more per year.