Youth in Government sponsored by ECKAN

08/22/2017

Youth in Government is BACK! Our first meeting was August 21, 2017!

08/21/2017

Solar Eclipse 2017 outside of ECKAN, East Central Kansas Economic Opportunity Corporation in City of Ottawa Kansas Municipal Government!

05/19/2017

03/23/2017

After years of refusing to do so, it is now time for the Kansas legislature to put working Kansans first by passing legislation to expand KanCare. Currently, 264,000 Kansans are uninsured. Of those, about 80,000 are adults who would qualify for KanCare if it were expanded. According to an analysis of Census data from the Kaiser Family Foundation, almost 80% of the people who would benefit from expansion are in families receiving earnings from work. A majority of those families have someone working year-round and full time.

Arguments against expansion are often centered on the idea that it would be too costly for the State, especially in consideration of the our current budget crisis. However, under KanCare expansion, the Federal Government would pay 90% of the cost of serving individuals who sign up for expanded KanCare. By not expanding, Kansas has already forgone over $1.6 billion in federal funds by not expanding when we were first eligible to. Because these are federal tax dollars that Kansans contributed to, in essence we have chosen not to receive tax dollars that Kansans paid. Our tax dollars are subsidizing the healthcare of those eligible for expanded Medicaid in other states, but not in Kansas.

An overwhelming majority of Kansans (82% according to a December 2016 survey conducted by the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network) and a broad coalition of hospitals who are struggling financially because Kansas hasn’t expanded KanCare, doctors who have seen patients postpone treatment until their health problems become severe, often resulting in disastrous effects, social service organizations who work daily with people who struggle financially and have to sacrifice health care to meet basic needs, religious organizations, and many others stand in solidarity in their support of KanCare expansion.

I encourage Kansas lawmakers to pass HB 2044, a bill that will expand KanCare, and thereby healthcare to thousands of hard-working Kansas families. Doing so is not only the popular thing to do, it is also the responsible action to take.

03/21/2017

"Make no mistake about it, this budget does not put America first; it puts Americans last."

02/14/2017

11/22/2016

07/06/2016

We are looking for a view good 8th-12th graders...That could be you. Want to make an impact on your local community? Tackle tough issues? Would you like your voice heard? Then Youth in Government is for you!

05/17/2016

Applications for YIG will start being accepted in August 2016. We are excited to kick off this wonderful group again!

05/06/2016

03/22/2016

Come join us for ECKAN's Chocolate 5K Run/Walk April 30, 2016!