Kansas Governor vetoes short-term health plan bill

A bill that would have allowed people in Kansas to buy short-term health plans for two additional years was vetoed by the state’s governor on May 20. Governor Laura Kelly vetoed a junk insurance bill that would have discriminated against Kansans with a preexisting condition and left Kansas families on the hook for surprise medical bills.

1. Backers of the bills: The bill’s backers said it simply would have given people who buy limited-duration health insurance more protection against premium increases or coverage changes. The bill would have allowed a consumer to buy new plans for two additional years without having the insurer reconsider the terms. Backers strongly object to the term “junk insurance.”
2. Expansion of Medicaid program: Kelly advocates expanding the state’s Medicaid program for the needy to cover up to 165,000 additional Kansas residents and said lawmakers should do that “if they want to get serious about improving access to health care.” But many Republicans oppose Medicaid expansion, and Kelly has been unable to get a bill through the GOP-controlled Legislature.
3. Impact the Bill would have made: “There are just all sorts of things in here that are really bad for consumers and so I vetoed this just out of concern for Kansans,” Governor Laura Kelly said. “There are better options. Signing this bill would cause more Kansas families to go bankrupt over medical bills. If the Legislature wants to get serious about improving access to health care, they should join 38 other states and the District of Columbia and pass Medicaid expansion.”
4. Goals: The legislature passed the bill earlier this month. The goal of short-term plans is to provide temporary sickness and accident insurance on a short-term basis. Preexisting conditions include health problems a person had before coverage started don’t have to be covered. So a company could choose who it wanted to insure.
5. Votes as counted: The plan passed with full Republican support in the Senate 29 to 11, but wasn’t as popular in the House, passing 68 to 51. Lawmakers would need two-thirds of each chamber to override the governor’s veto. That would take 84 votes in the House, while the Senate is already over the needed amount.