1.11.12
KPI Statement On Gov. Brownback's 2012 State of the State Address
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, Contact James Franko (316) 634-0218

This evening, Kansas Policy Institute president Dave Trabert offered the following statement in response to Governor Sam Brownback's annual State Of The State Address.

Overall Thoughts: "I'm glad Gov. Brownback has identified the things that too many previous administrations and members of the legislature willfully chose to ignore; KPERS, Medicaid, K-12 finance and taxes. While it is nice to see these crises finally get some attention, the state is not moving aggressively enough to save itself from driving off a cliff..." Read the full Press Release here.

12.6.11
KPERS and Medicaid Poised to Drive Kansas Budget Off a Cliff
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, Contact James Franko (316) 634-0218

It's no secret that KPERS and Medicaid costs have been growing, but many Kansans may be shocked to learn that those two items could soon consume nearly half of all Kansas State General Fund (SGF) revenue. In 1998, Medicaid and employee pension costs consumed 5.9% of SGF revenue and are budgeted at 24.2% of 2012 revenue. But, even if SGF revenue grows at a slightly-above-average annual rate of 3.5%, KPERS and Medicaid will account for somewhere between 34% and 45.1% of SGF revenue by 2023.

A new study from Kansas Policy Institute, "Major Structural Deficits Looming In Kansas," projects General Fund spending under four spending scenarios and three revenue growth assumptions. Read the full Press Release here.

6.28.11
Medicaid Spending Set to Crowd Out Education And Other Gov't Functions
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, Contact James Franko (316) 634-0218

Full implementation of federal health care 'reform', commonly referred to as ObamaCare, would cost an extra $4.7 billion from the Kansas General Fund budget between 2014 and 2023 - the first ten year period when all of the law's provisions are in effect. Total General Fund spending on Medicaid over that ten-year period is projected to be $20.8 billion, which is 29 percent more than would be spent without ObamaCare. Jagadeesh Gokhale, Ph.D., a member of the Social Security Advisory Board and former senior economist at the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland, writes in a new paper from Kansas Policy Institute that the mandates will balloon Kansas spending and crowd out the resources available for other government functions such as education and transportation. Read the full Press Release here.