Supporters of expanding Medicaid in Kansas have briefly hung huge banners inside the Statehouse criticizing Republican legislative leaders who oppose the idea.

The four banners hung Wednesday from the fifth-floor railings of the rotunda said GOP leaders have "blood on their hands" for blocking Medicaid health coverage for up to 150,000 more Kansas residents.

Protester Thea Perry said such coverage would be life-saving for some individuals. House Majority Leader and Wichita Republican Dan Hawkins dismissed the banners as "ridiculous."

“Supporters of socialist health care don’t care about the facts," he said. “They don’t have the facts on their side, so they resort to extremism. We will not let extremists rule the day. That is not the Kansas way.”

The House approved a modified version of Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly's expansion plan last week over GOP leaders' objections. The Senate has yet to consider it.

Hawkins called expansion a cash grab by large hospitals and that it wouldn't benefit rural hospitals. He added that expansion costs have "far exceeded" estimates in other states, "and Kansas will be no exception."

Legislative Administrative Services Director Tom Day took the banners down within minutes. He said legislative rules require prior permission to hang banners.