For Immediate Release:         
November 16, 2023
          
Contact:         
Grace Hoge
[email protected]

ICYMI: Governor Kelly, Child Care Leaders Discuss Medicaid Expansion Benefits in Emporia

KEY QUOTE: The lack of Medicaid expansion has led to a scarcity of resources for the childcare workforce, resulting in burnout, high turnover rates, and challenges in recruiting new staff. Childcare centers, both for-profit and nonprofit, are finding it increasingly difficult to provide essential benefits such as healthcare and are unable to compete with businesses that offer more attractive packages.

Gov. Kelly talks Medicaid expansion, childcare at Emporia roundtable Ryann Brooks, Emporia Gazette
November 15, 2023

Gov. Laura Kelly discussed the urgent need for Medicaid expansion, shedding light on the challenges faced by the childcare industry and the broader impact on the state’s workforce and economy during a stop in Emporia on Tuesday morning.
[Deb] Crowl [Emporia Childcare Center Administrator] said, “Medicaid expansion will help stabilize the childcare workforce and, in turn, contribute to the economic well-being of our community. Having access to high-quality and affordable childcare is essential for the working families of today and an early investment in the next generation of Kansas workers.”
Kelly mentioned that more than 24% of Kansas childcare workers would be eligible for Medicaid if the state were to expand it, closing the eligibility gap.
Sen. Jeff Longbine and Rep. Mark Schreiber, both longtime supporters of expansion, said they have seen little-to-no evidence of able-bodied Kansans not working as a way to get benefits from the state. “I haven’t seen any evidence of it, but I do see people who work in food service or who are the clerk at your gas station or those jobs that are not being covered, but those that are critical of Medicaid expansion are also complaining about the cost of food and those types of things,” Longbine said.
Schreiber agreed, noting that people that fall into the coverage gap are working. “They just can’t earn enough or have the capability enough to go to another business that provides company insurance and earn a bigger way,” he said.

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