TOPEKA, June 2 — Starting this week, children in Louisiana are eligible for state-funded health insurance if their families’ incomes fall below 250 percent of the federal poverty guideline — $44,000 for a three person household.
In Kansas, eligibility won’t reach the 250-percent threshold for another year, at least. Modest-income parents in Louisiana have access to state-run health insurance for their children. Their Kansas counterparts do not.
“This is Kansas — we like to think we’re a progressive state, that we’re leading the pack when it comes to health care reform. But, come on, we’re not,” said Corrie Edwards, executive director at the Kansas Health Consumer Coalition.