Sebelius: Kansas starting down path toward health coverage for all
Governor signs bill providing short-term help, long-term plan

With nearly 300,000 Kansans lacking health insurance, and rising health costs impacting those with coverage, it’s well past time for action on the health care crisis, Governor Kathleen Sebelius has said.

To begin tackling the crisis, Sebelius today signed a bill providing assistance to Kansas families and businesses in the short-term while a long-term plan for full coverage is prepared.

“This begins the process of moving toward a future where all Kansans have health coverage,” Sebelius said. “It’s an important first step while we work with providers, patients, businesses and stakeholders on a plan for covering every Kansan.”

The bill, SB 11, directs the Kansas Health Policy Authority to develop a plan to move the state to a future where all Kansans have health insurance.  This plan will be presented to the Governor and Legislature prior to the 2008 Legislative Session.

In the short-term, the bill provides assistance to low income uninsured families with incomes of up to 100% of the federal poverty level to help them buy private insurance coverage.  It also provides $500,000 in grants and loans to help small businesses form group plans, as well as loan guarantees for up to $15 million in loans to safety net clinics so they can continue to serve the uninsured.

SB 11 is the 176th bill signed into law by Sebelius during the 2007 Legislative Session and will go into effect after publication in the statute book. She has vetoed four bills and one budget line item this session.

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