Democratic candidates for Kansas secretary of state to speak at Saturday meeting

Democratic candidates for Kansas secretary of state will be the guest speakers at the Saturday morning, March 17, meeting of the Wyandotte County Third Saturday Democratic Breakfast at Las Islas Marias, 7516 State Ave., Kansas City, Kansas.

The event begins with a buffet at 8:15 a.m. followed by a program at 9 a.m.

Secretary of state candidates who are expected to appear include Nathaniel McLaughlin, a Kansas City, Kansas, businessman; State Sen. Marci Francisco, D-Lawrence; and Brian McClendon, a professor at the University of Kansas.

Also speaking at the meeting will be State Rep. Kathy Wolfe Moore, D-36th Dist., who will give a legislative update.

The cost of the breakfast buffet is $10 or $6 for students and those on limited income. Reservations are requested by Friday, March 16, to mackeyscott16@gmail.com. Although reservations are encouraged, reservations are not necessary to attend. Those attending do not have to purchase a breakfast.

The program is open to all Democrats.

Medicaid suspension stalled by KanCare expansion debate

by Madeline Fox, Kansas News Service

A bill stalled in the Kansas Legislature would let Medicaid recipients quickly get coverage back after they’re released from jail or a mental health facility.

The mere threat of launching debate on Medicaid expansion in Kansas has caged up a measure to suspend, rather than terminate, coverage for people while they’re locked up.

So legislators have created a policy work-around that doles out some extra money with direction to the state health agency to keep that coverage waiting for people when they get free.

The waylaid bill would let people sent to prison or mental health facilities press pause on their benefits and then pick them up again when they’re released. Under current law, Medicaid recipients need to reapply for benefits. That can take weeks or months, effectively delaying care and jeopardizing the finances of the poor.

Last year’s attempt to expand Medicaid was amended onto a bill creating mental health clubhouses, or community-based rehabilitation programs for people with mental illness. Gov. Sam Brownback vetoed the bill, stopping both Medicaid expansion and the clubhouse program.
This year, Senate majority leader Jim Denning has said he’s not interested in debating KanCare expansion until after the Legislature sorts out school funding.

“There’s no reason to bring Medicaid expansion back up and take a vote when we know — A, it won’t pass, and, B, until we get school finance fixed for the long term — we have no way to plan on paying for an expanded Medicaid,” Denning said.

In the case of Medicaid suspension, Republican Sen. Vicki Schmidt said lawmakers are setting aside enough money in the budget for the Kansas Department for Health and Environment to cover the costs of suspending, rather than terminating benefits.

Rick Cagan, head of the Kansas chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness, said he’s glad Kansas will change the Medicaid rules, a move he and other mental health advocates have been pushing for more than a decade.

“It’s huge progress after spending 10 or 15 years complaining about the issue,” he said. “We’d like a statutory solution, but…until they can do that, I think this will hold us.”

Madeline Fox is a reporter for the Kansas News Service, a collaboration of KCUR, Kansas Public Radio, KMUW and High Plains Public Radio covering health, education and politics. You can reach her on Twitter @maddycfox. Kansas News Service stories and photos may be republished at no cost with proper attribution and a link back to the original post.

See more at http://kcur.org/post/medicaid-suspension-stalled-kancare-expansion-debate.

KCKCC golfers seventh in tough Ottawa Spring Invitational

by Alan Hoskins, KCKCC

The only two-year college in the field, Kansas City Kansas Community College ran into a bevy of strong four-year colleges and universities and had to settle for seventh place in the Ottawa University Spring Invitational Monday and Tuesday.

With the three leading medalists and four of the low six scores in the 13-team field, Park University finished 35 strokes in front of runnerup Sterling College with a 573 total in the tourney played in cold and breezy conditions at Eagle Bend Golf Course in Lawrence.

Trailing Park were Sterling, 608; Ottawa, 611; Northwestern (Iowa), 612; Kansas Wesleyan, 614; Missouri Valley, 618; and KCKCC, 629. Bethel College, York College, Southwestern, Haskell Indian Nation and B teams from Ottawa and Kansas Wesleyan trailed KCKCC.

Sophomore Micah Morris led KCKCC, tying for eighth place for a 73-77-150 total. Bobby Armstrong (75-81-157) and Zach Miller (77-80-157) tied for 26th; Trevor Bauer (82-83-165) tied for 44th; and Harry Welsh (87-83-170) placed 54th to round out the Blue Devil scoring.

Wes Butenbach led Park’s sweep of the low three finishers with a 4-under par 139. Yannick Koehnen was second (142) and Nate Ruan third (144) with Ryan Tattan (148) tying for fifth.