TOPEKA — Kansas is the only state where eligibility for the Children’s Health Insurance Program is tied to 2008. 

The government-funded program that provides low-cost insurance for children who don’t quite meet Medicaid income requirements is determined by whether a family makes under 250% of the federal poverty level from 2008.

Yes, 2008 — 18 years ago. Back then, the federal poverty level for a family of four was $21,200 annually. In 2026, it is $33,000. 

Band-Aid fixes over the past few years have addressed the problem, but a bill that secured unanimous Senate approval would officially ditch the 2008 provision. It changes eligibility to anyone making under 250% the current federal poverty level. Eligibility would therefore expand from a family of four making under $53,000 to under $82,500. 

“As costs continue to rise, this eligibility limit will get progressively lower, and the number of children denied eligibility will continue to grow, placing a burden on our members who see all patients, regardless of insurance status or ability to pay,” Robert Stiles, CEO of Community Care Network of Kansas wrote in his testimony. 

As of March 2026, more than 57,000 Kansas were enrolled in CHIP and 15,000 in the Medicare-CHIP hybrid. A majority of children in the United States rely on CHIP or Medicaid at some point before turning 18. 

Proponents of the bill say this fix has been a long time coming. 

Legislation has been introduced to change the 2008 limit since 2022. Most of them never made it out of committee, and the only one that did was never heard by a chamber. Senate Bill 271 is the first to gain momentum — and bipartisan momentum at that. 

Heather Braum, a senior policy adviser at Kansas Action for Children, testified in favor of all the proposals. 

“Multiple bills have been introduced that would address this issue so Kansas families are on an even playing field with every other state in the country so that Kansas children won’t fall through the cracks – and lose health insurance coverage – if this issue is inadvertently omitted from the budget,” Braum wrote in her testimony. “However, those previous bills did not make it across the finish line.”

Rep. Suzanne Wikle, a Democrat from Lawrence on the House Health and Human Services Committee said in an interview the top priority for the bill is to ensure it “doesn’t lose ground.” The House committee passed the bill on the same day it was heard. 

Proponents said the law is a commonsense fix, especially when data shows that children who have access to health care have a higher quality of life. Data from the federal Head Start program shows they have better school attendance, are more engaged and are better-prepared for school. 

CHIP is a federal-state collaboration and falls under the KanCare umbrella. The federal government funds the majority of the program. How far CHIP extends is largely up to Kansas.  

The Senate Public Health and Welfare Committee — the first of the two committees to hear the bill — added an amendment to expand coverage for pregnant Kansas minors. 

It also added an amendment to make the premium a sliding-fee per child, but that was amended to per family on the Senate floor. The details of the bill are still in flux, and legislative text would be hammered out after it passes the House.  

The bill had no opponents in either committee hearing.

Kansas Reflector is part of States Newsroom, a network of news bureaus supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Kansas Reflector maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Sherman Smith for questions: info@kansasreflector.com. Follow Kansas Reflector on Facebook and Twitter.

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