U.S. Sen. Jerry Moran of Kansas is in a familiar position. He’s one of several Republican senators under pressure to vote for the latest Obamacare repeal bill. However, Moran remains undecided.
Moran, who surprised many by opposing some earlier Obamacare repeal bills and supporting others, says he’s studying the so-called Graham-Cassidy amendment.
He says he still favors repeal but wants to know more about the new bill.
“How we fix the Affordable Care Act matters to me and the consequences to health care providers but more importantly their patients is still front and center,” Moran says.
Among other things, Graham-Cassidy would use the money now paying for Medicaid expansion to fund Medicaid block grants to the states.
Under that arrangement, Kansas would initially see a $2 billion increase in federal funding, according to a study by leadinghealth careconsulting firm Avalere, but that funding would drop by $11 billion by 2036.
--Jim McLean is managing director of KMUW's Kansas News Service, a collaboration of KMUW, Kansas Public Radio and KCUR covering health, education and politics in Kansas. Follow him on Twitter @jmcleanks.
To contact KMUW News or to send in a news tip, reach us at news@kmuw.org.
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