Protestors dump bloody-looking ‘hospital bills’ targeting Kansas senators on Medicaid

Demonstrators flooded the Kansas Capitol on Friday with thousands of bloody-looking paper “hospital bills” targeting senators over Medicaid expansion.

The protest came as lawmakers who support expansion prepare to mount a last-ditch effort to advance the plan by attempting to block passage of the state budget.

The fliers drifted down the rotunda like confetti and covered the floor as lawmakers, lobbyists and visitors looked on.

On one side, they featured a photo of a senator who didn’t support a procedural vote earlier this week to advance Medicaid expansion with red splotches that looked like blood. The other side was a “bill” listing senators as patients stamped “past due.”

“I really do believe this kind of action is what is needed because when there’s extreme behavior coming out of the Senate leadership, that requires us to try and force their hand and hopefully show it as an issue,” said Logan Stenseng, who participated in the protest.

Stenseng, 20, is a sophomore at the University of Kansas. He said he’s not certain how many people worked on the protest, but described them as a “bunch of concerned Kansans.” He said the demonstration wasn’t associated with a particular group.

The website of Kansas Young Democrats lists Stenseng as the president of the group’s Butler County chapter.

The fliers appeared to target Senate Majority Leader Jim Denning, Sen. Larry Alley and Sen. Gene Suellentrop – all Republicans who didn’t vote in favor of the Medicaid expansion procedural motion.

During the Wednesday vote, Denning voted pass on the motion. “I’m not saying no,” Denning said that day. “I’m saying this policy isn’t ready.”

One of the fliers names Alley on the bill but uses Suellentrop’s picture.

“If they can’t figure that out, they can’t figure out Medicaid expansion,” Suellentrop said. “They need to go back to college.”

Mike Oxford of Lonestar, Kansas, called it a “mail drop.” He said Denning and Suellentrop were included because he said they have “been a consistent brick wall” for any movement on health care expansion. Alley was singled out because he changed his vote.

“We wanted to point the finger at three powerful senators that have been a consistent brick wall on the issue,” Oxford said.

The House is expected to debate the state budget later Friday. House Minority Leader Tom Sawyer, D-Wichita, has said that Democrats and moderate Republicans will try to vote down the budget in hopes of forcing the Legislature to vote on expansion.

Friday’s demonstration came after a protest in March where banners pressuring lawmakers on expansion were unfurled in the Capitol rotunda. Police removed three college students in the wake of that protest, drawing criticism.

Statehouse officials then agreed to allow small, non-disruptive protests. Two reporters didn’t see police remove anyone on Friday.

This story was originally published May 3, 2019 at 10:53 AM.