U.S. Rep. Sharice Davids introduces healthcare reform package in response to federal cuts

TOPEKA — U.S. Rep. Sharice Davids introduced healthcare legislation intended to benefit families grappling with rising Affordable Care Act premiums and to broaden federal support of rural hospitals.

Davids, the 3rd District Democrat seeking reelection against Republican Eric Jenkins, said the goal would be for Congress to restore access to ACA tax credits that could save Kansas families an average of $700 on annual premiums. The credits were allowed to expire at the end of 2025 under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. Davids was the only member of the Kansas congressional delegation to vote against the bill.

Davids’ proposal to elevate the Medicare cap on federal reimbursements could help critical access hospitals hire personnel necessary to operate surgical centers.

“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,” said Chad Austin, president and CEO of the Kansas Hospital Association. “Updating this outdated policy would give rural hospitals greater flexibility to sustain these essential services and better meet the needs of their communities.”

Elements of the bill not addressed by Congress in the lame-duck session from November to January would have to be refiled. Prospects of passing Davids’ proposals could depend on whether Republicans retained control of the U.S. House or Democrats won a majority Nov. 3.

Davids said the sweeping bill signed into law by President Donald Trump in 2025 included the largest cut to Medicaid in U.S. history. The law removed health coverage from 92,000 Kansans, restricted reproductive healthcare and placed rural hospitals in Kansas at greater risk of closure, Davids said.

“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,” she said.

In the healthcare package, Davids proposed that seniors be granted an opportunity each year to switch Medicare supplemental plans without being denied coverage or charged more for a pre-existing condition.

Davids would shield labor and delivery services at rural and tribal hospitals from federal budget cuts. She would shift federal grants to clinics taking on patients displaced by nearby healthcare facility closures.

In addition, the Democrat’s proposal would enable people with early-onset Alzheimer’s who didn’t qualify for Social Security disability to buy into Medicare for treatment and prescriptions.

April Holman, executive director of the Alliance for a Healthy Kansas, said rising costs strain Kansas families.

“We hear from Kansans who are putting off needed care, rationing medication or going without necessities to afford basic medical care,” she said. “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.”