Davids Fights Washington Healthcare Cuts with Plan to Lower Costs, Protect Kansas Hospitals

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, U.S. Representative Sharice Davids (KS-03) introduced a comprehensive package of healthcare legislation that directly counters Washington’s recent healthcare rollbacks, which are increasing monthly costs and closing rural hospitals. Davids’ efforts would protect Kansas families from rising medical costs, block new federal red tape, and keep local hospitals and health clinics open.

“At a time when families are stretching every dollar to cover groceries, energy, and housing, Washington shouldn't be making healthcare more expensive just to give billionaires a tax break,” said Davids. “I’m fighting back because hard-working Kansans deserve practical solutions, not higher medical bills and shuttered clinic doors. My healthcare package focuses on what actually matters to our neighbors: bringing down out-of-pocket costs, cutting through bureaucratic red tape, and making sure our local hospitals and birthing centers stay open.”

Last year, Davids voted against the extreme, partisan budget law, which included the largest cuts to Medicaid in American history. The law strips health coverage from 92,937 Kansans, puts six rural hospitals at risk of closure, restricts reproductive healthcare, and increases ACA premiums by an average of $708 per year for families in Kansas’ Third District.

Medicaid is a lifeline for Kansas hospitals, especially in rural communities, and the cuts could take more than $78 million a year from hospitals, increasing uncompensated care costs and potentially forcing Kansans to travel farther for emergency or specialized care. Higher ACA premiums could also push healthier people out of the insurance market, driving costs even higher for those who remain.

While party leaders in D.C. continue pushing partisan legislation that raises costs on working families, Davids’ package is focused on common-sense, bipartisan solutions that deliver tangible savings and protect access to care across Kansas.

• Restoring eliminated tax credits: The Healthy Communities Act would permanently restore enhanced ACA tax credits, saving Kansas families an average of $700 a year on premiums. It would also eliminate new Medicaid paperwork requirements, increase incentives for states like Kansas to expand coverage to working adults, and close Kansas’ Medicaid coverage gap, giving thousands of low-income Kansans access to ACA tax credits.

• Keeping rural operating rooms open: The Rural Surgery Sustainability Act would raise the federal reimbursement cap for surgical procedures at critical access hospitals, helping hospitals afford the nurse anesthetists needed to keep surgical services running.
  • “Access to local surgical procedures and maternity care is essential for rural Kansas communities, and maintaining a reliable anesthesia care team is critical to providing those services. However, the current Medicare reimbursement threshold has not been updated in more than two decades despite significant increases in the cost of recruiting and retaining these professionals. Updating this outdated policy would give rural hospitals greater flexibility to sustain these essential services and better meet the needs of their communities,” said Chad Austin, President and CEO, Kansas Hospital Association.

• Protecting seniors from insurance discrimination: The Guaranteeing Access to Supplemental Plans Act would give seniors an annual opportunity to switch Medicare Supplement plans without being denied coverage or charged more because of a pre-existing condition.
  • “My husband and I have been experiencing Medigap premium increases that are quite high considering how frequent they are. We are penalized for having a couple of minor “pre-existing” conditions, one of which requires no treatment. We are held hostage by our insurance providers because we cannot change companies without underwriting, resulting in even higher rates or refusal of coverage. Who at 65 or older does not have some form of a pre-existing condition? I appreciate Rep. Davids’ efforts to address this problem and work toward a solution that gives seniors more options and protects us from being trapped by our insurance providers,” said Shelly Toft, Lenexa resident.

• Protecting rural hospitals from sudden funding cuts: The Long-Term Rural Health Investment Act would phase in reimbursement changes and prevent abrupt federal payment limits from putting rural emergency care at risk.

• Keeping local clinics open when hospitals close: The Access to Community Care Act would prioritize federal grants for safety-net clinics that take on patients displaced by nearby healthcare facility closures, helping families maintain access to local primary care.

• Keeping maternity care close to home: The Maternity Care for Rural Communities Act would protect labor and delivery services at rural and Tribal hospitals from federal funding cuts, helping prevent new maternity care deserts.

• Making healthcare available to people with early-onset Alzheimer’s: The Early-Onset Alzheimer’s Coverage Act would allow adults diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s who do not qualify for Social Security Disability to buy into Medicare and access treatment, prescriptions, and specialized care.
  • “When my husband was diagnosed with younger-onset Alzheimer’s, our world turned upside down — and finding out he didn't qualify for Medicare because they spent years raising our children at home felt like a punch in the gut. Stay-at-home parents sacrifice so much for their families, and they shouldn't be cut off from life-saving healthcare when tragedy strikes. This bill is a true lifeline. I am so grateful to Representative Davids for standing up for families like mine, listening to our pain, and taking real action to fix this broken system,” said Nina Westvold, Overland Park resident.

"Healthcare costs are putting an enormous strain on Kansas families,” said April Holman, Executive Director, Alliance for a Healthy Kansas. “We hear from Kansans who are putting off needed care, rationing medication, or going without necessities to afford basic medical care. As premiums and deductibles continue to rise, so do medical debt. We need comprehensive solutions to lower costs, protect access to care in rural communities, and ensure every Kansan has access to affordable, quality healthcare in every stage of life."

“The high cost of living is crippling Kansas families, and the soaring costs of health care are a top concern," said David Jordan, President and CEO of the United Methodist Health Ministry Fund. "Unfortunately, health care costs will only go up for Kansans due to HR 1 and the failure of Congress to extend enhanced premium tax credits.  Representative Sharice Davids’ (KS-03) comprehensive health care package will help reverse harmful cuts and help make care more affordable.  The package will also help protect vulnerable rural Kansas hospitals and help keep maternity care close to home. This package is win for Kansas families, Kansas hospitals and providers, and Kansas communities.”

Throughout her time in Congress, Davids has championed policies to make healthcare more affordable and accessible. She voted to cap insulin costs at $35 per month for Medicare recipients, extend tax credits that help families afford insurance through the Affordable Care Act, and cap annual out-of-pocket drug costs for seniors. She also supported giving Medicare the power to negotiate drug prices — saving 74,000 Kansans up to 79 percent — and led efforts to ban surprise medical billing and increase transparency from insurers to help patients avoid costly out-of-network care.