A House committee has advanced a bill aimed at exempting Kansas from the federal health care overhaul.
State Representative Brett Hildabrand, a Shawnee Republican, said that if the bill ends up passing, it could move Kansas towards gaining more control over federal health care programs.
“The broad federal approach tries to apply a cookie-cutter approach to every state. I believe that’s too broad and we need to put it back at the state level,” Hildabrand said.
Two Democrats on the committee voted against the bill. They said afterward that it wouldn't guarantee better health care for Kansans.
The bill would authorize Kansas to join a compact drawn up by a group of states that would exempt members from federal health care requirements. However, that compact wouldn't go into effect unless it was approved by both the U.S. House and Senate, something that is viewed as unlikely.
