Kansas' largest health insurer said Tuesday that it will offer another year of coverage under plans that it had expected to cancel in 2014 because of the federal health care overhaul.

Legislation authorizing $1.5 billion in bonds to bolster the Kansas pension system for teachers and government workers has stalled in the state Senate, and one advocate said Wednesday that the bill is dead in the water.

Kansas would issue $1.5 billion in bonds to improve the short-term financial health of its pension system for teachers and government workers under a bill receiving first-round approval Tuesday in the state House.

A proposal for issuing $1.5 billion in bonds to boost the long-term health of Kansas' public pension system advanced Thursday in the state Legislature, but Republican lawmakers who want to put new government employees into a 401(k)-style plan abandoned an effort to pass such a bill this year.

Frustrated conservatives in Kansas are turning against the moderate members of their own party, disappointed the state has not adopted a 401(k)-style plan for teachers.

The compromise includes a plan to use casino revenues to bolster the long-term financial health of the Kansas Public Employees Retirement System, which has a projected $8.3 billion shortfall.

Kansas may dedicate revenues from state-owned casinos to pensions for teachers and government workers as part of a broader bill bolstering the long-term financial health of the state's retirement system.

Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback and several top administration officials sought to dispel doubts about his plan to overhaul the state's Medicaid program, declaring Thursday that the planned summertime reorganization of three government departments will improve services for the poor, disabled and elderly.