Former state Rep. Josh Svaty on Tuesday night criticized gubernatorial rival Laura Kelly for supporting a bill prohibiting the governor from unilaterally expanding Medicaid.
In a gubernatorial forum sponsored by the Wichita Eagle and KPTS-TV, Svaty questioned Kelly’s 2014 vote for a bill driven by Republicans that was aimed at stopping a potential Democratic governor from expanding Medicaid without legislative approval.
The bill became law. It passed 33-7 in the Senate with only Democrats in opposition. It passed in the House on a 68-54 vote.
“If I were to win the election in November, the old law would have allowed me to expand Medicaid on Day 1,” Svaty said during the Democratic forum broadcast on Facebook Live.
The bill was aimed at House Minority Leader Paul Davis, who was mounting a vigorous campaign at the time against then-Gov. Sam Brownback and Republicans feared a new Democratic governor would expand Medicaid, Svaty said.
Kelly said there was no doubt that she was a strong advocate for Medicaid expansion but did not respond directly to Svaty’s claim.
“I have been fighting for Medicaid expansion since we’ve had the opportunity to do that here in Kansas,” Kelly said during the forum.
Kelly noted she supported the legislation expanding Medicaid last year, but Brownback vetoed the bill.
She said lawmakers tried expanding Medicaid this year, but GOP leadership bottled up the bill so the issue wouldn’t be forced on Republican Gov. Jeff Colyer in an election year.
“I believe we will be able to pass (Medicaid expansion) next year and that when it comes my desk, obviously, I will sign it,” she said.
The latest exchange over Medicaid is just one more salvo in an increasingly intense Democratic primary campaign between Svaty and Kelly with former Wichita Mayor Carl Brewer joining the fray at times.
Kelly has been challenging Svaty’s commitment to abortion rights, citing 11 votes he made as a lawmaker that restricted the procedure.
At one point a week ago, Kelly suggested that Svaty was misleading voters about remarks he made about supporting a woman’s right to make her own healthcare decisions.
Svaty, meanwhile, has argued that Kelly is soft on guns and she supported the state’s proof-of-citizenship requirement for would-be voters that was just struck down by a federal judge as unconstitutional.
