Topeka ? Health care advocates on Friday urged lawmakers to help the growing number of Kansans who are struggling with medical debt.

They urged President Bush to agree with Congress on an increase to the State Children’s Health Insurance Program that is set to expire at month’s end.

Congress has proposed increases in cigarette and tobacco taxes to fund a $35 billion increase over five years, while Bush has threatened to veto that level of spending and instead called for a $5 billion increase.

The program provides insurance to 6.6 million children nationwide, including 35,000 in Kansas under HealthWave.

Corrie Edwards, executive director of the Kansas Health Consumer Coalition, said numerous health care groups support the congressional proposal.

“Our position is that they need to sustain the money that has been received in the past, and to expand funding so that we can cover the kids that aren’t covered right now,” she said.

Meanwhile, experts at the coalition’s annual conference said a growing number of families are struggling with debt from health care costs and expenses.

“Many of us don’t realize how expensive it’s becoming as a part of our overall family budget,” said Michael Fox, associate professor and senior research scientist in the Department of Health Policy and Management at the Kansas University School of Medicine.

One out of every three Kansans, ages 19-64, has had problems paying off medical bills in the last year, according to a Kaiser Foundation study. Of that number, two-thirds had insurance but experienced trouble paying their health care bills because of high deductibles, or because they were under-insured.

The debt often leads to difficulty in getting credit and reduces access to health care, Fox said.

A recent survey of 1,058 patients at community health centers in Wichita, Emporia and Garden City found that nearly two-thirds reported owing money for medical bills. Of that group, nearly half said they delayed a visit to the doctor because of medical debt. The study was done by The Access Project, which is affiliated with a nonprofit that works on public health issues.

Fox said health care providers need to provide more information on the cost of services so that customers have a better idea of what they are facing financially. He said policyholders also need to know what their policy covers and whether prices can be negotiated.

Advocates also have recommended that hospitals do a better job of screening patients for eligibility for public assistance.