TOPEKA, Kan. – A new poll shows the clear majority of Kansan voters still wants to expand KanCare and that Gov. Sam Brownback’s veto of the Legislature’s bill to do so is unpopular among both Republicans and Democrats.
Per an April 2017 statewide survey commissioned by the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network and the American Heart Association, when told that the Legislature’s bill would use federal dollars already set aside to provide healthcare coverage to low-income residents, 75 percent of respondents said they support expanding KanCare — including 66 percent of Republican voters statewide. Sixty-four percent of voters disagree with Gov. Brownback’s decision to veto the legislation expanding KanCare.
ACS CAN Government Relations Director Hilary Gee issued the following statement:
“Once again, Kansas voters have indicated their strong support for expanding KanCare. The Legislature still has time to do the right thing by bringing our tax dollars back to provide thousands of hardworking, low-income Kansans access to comprehensive health care coverage. Access to care is essential to preventing, detecting and surviving cancer.”
American Heart Association Board President Dr. Sanjaya Gupta issued the following statement:
“The expansion of KanCare is imperative to the health of low-income individuals with cardiovascular disease or debilitation from stroke. Individuals with KanCare coverage are more likely to utilize the increased access to preventive care, prescription drugs and hospital care. In fact, they are also more likely to have their blood pressure controlled and are 20 percent more likely to have been checked for high cholesterol. This recent poll makes it even more clear: Expanding KanCare is not just good for patients — it is the will of Kansas voters.”
GS Strategy Group conducted the survey statewide in Kansas among 500 likely voters from April 22-27, 2017. Thirty-nine percent of respondents identified themselves as conservative, 34.4 percent as moderate and 23.5 percent as liberal; 2.9 percent of respondents did not know or answer. Margin of error is +/- 4.38 percent. A summary of poll results is available here.
About ACS CAN
ACS CAN, the nonprofit, nonpartisan advocacy affiliate of the American Cancer Society, supports evidence-based policy and legislative solutions designed to eliminate cancer as a major health problem. ACS CAN works to encourage elected officials and candidates to make cancer a top national priority. ACS CAN gives ordinary people extraordinary power to fight cancer with the training and tools they need to make their voices heard. For more information, visit www.fightcancer.org.
About the American Heart Association and American Stroke Association
The American Heart Association and the American Stroke Association are devoted to saving people from heart disease and stroke – the two leading causes of death in the world. We team with millions of volunteers to fund innovative research, fight for stronger public health policies, and provide lifesaving tools and information to prevent and treat these diseases. The Dallas-based American Heart Association is the nation’s oldest and largest voluntary organization dedicated to fighting heart disease and stroke. The American Stroke Association is a division of the American Heart Association. To learn more or to get involved, call 1-800-AHA-USA1, visit heart.org or call any of our offices around the country. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter.
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