To the editor:

After years of effort by advocates across the state, Medicaid expansion in Kansas may soon become a reality. On Feb. 23, the Kansas House voted 81-44 in favor of a bill to expand KanCare, and this issue soon will be debated in the Senate.

Expansion of the state’s Medicaid program would allow 300,000 Kansans to be eligible for coverage, many of whom are low-income but are able-bodied, hard-working citizens. It goes without saying that restricting access to care has detrimental effects on the health of Kansans. Preventive services are crucial to detecting disease in its earliest stages.

Why do we turn our backs on patients in need? Our state has lost an estimated $1.7 billion in additional federal funds over the last three years by rejecting the expansion of Medicaid. In October 2015, when Mercy Hospital in Independence closed due to lack of funds, thousands of people lost access to health care, and 190 people lost their jobs. Increasing coverage will help keep rural hospitals and clinics afloat. Let’s provide support to the disadvantaged and marginalized, and improve the health of Kansans for generations to come.