Democratic opponents assail Kelly over Medicaid in gubernatorial debate

Governor candidates Jack Bergeson and Josh Svaty accused fellow Democrat Laura Kelly of lacking commitment to expand Medicaid in Kansas.

Kelly seemed taken aback by the criticism at a forum in Wichita Tuesday night, saying that she has fought hard to expand the medical care program since the day it became an issue for the state.

The exchange came near the end of a 1 ½ hour debate sponsored by The Wichita Eagle and KPTS public television. The newspaper and station had originally planned two debates leading up to the Aug. 7 gubernatorial primary, but canceled the Republican forum when Gov. Jeff Colyer and Secretary of State Kris Kobach opted not to participate.

The other two Democratic candidates, former Wichita Mayor Carl Brewer and Olathe physician Arden Andersen, both spoke in favor of Medicaid expansion but were not part of the attack on Kelly.

The clash started with Bergeson, a 17-year-old high school student who, due to a quirk in state law, is eligible to run even though he’s too young to vote in the election.

“Laura Kelly (and her running mate) Lynn Rogers have taken over a combined $3,000 from companies that have helped run and profit from the (former Gov. Sam) Brownback-Colyer privatization of Medicaid,” Bergeson said. “If she tries to tell you she is for health care reform, she is not. She is bought by the corporations.”

Kelly, a state senator, replied that she has spent years fighting those companies in the Legislature.

“I think anybody who knows me and has watched my work on the KanCare (Medicaid) oversight committee knows I’m hardly in bed with the for-profit insurance companies that came from out of state to take over our Medicaid program,” she said. “If anything, they will tell you I’m their strongest opponent.”

She said not only would she fight to expand Medicaid, she would work to end the privatized system that runs it now and put it back on a nonprofit footing like it was when it was run directly by the state government.

Then came Svaty’s turn.

The former lawmaker and agriculture secretary said Kelly was the only Democratic senator to vote with 32 Republicans in 2014 to require legislative approval to expand Medicaid.

Under the federal Affordable Care Act, governors could expand the program and take federal aid to do it on their own initiative.

The expansion would cover about 150,000 Kansans — working poor people who make too much money to get health coverage through Medicaid, but not enough to qualify for subsidized insurance through federal marketplaces.

Svaty said the 2014 bill was pushed forward by Republicans to ensure they could stop expansion if Democrat Paul Davis beat Brownback in the election that year.

Svaty said under the old law, he would have been able to expand Medicaid on his first day if he’s elected governor. Now, he’d have to wait for the Legislature to act.

Kelly didn’t directly address that bill vote in her response to Svaty.

Later she said that she didn’t remember the bill or how she voted or why four years ago.

But she did say that she has favored expansion from the start and fought to hold Medicaid insurance companies accountable.

“I’ll stand on my record,” she said.

The entire debate is available on video on the Facebook page of the Wichita Eagle, where it was streamed live Tuesday night.

The video is also available on www.kpts.org and will be rebroadcast by the station at 8 p.m. Thursday on Channel 8.

This story was originally published July 17, 2018 at 11:09 PM.