Saturday 2/11/12

• Rep. Ward will be participating in a legislative forum with Jean Schodorf, Steve Brunk and Pete DeGraaf before the Sedgwick County Association of Counties – City Arts 334 No. Mead at 9:00 a.m.

 
• Rep. Ward will be attending a Chili Feed at Machinist Hall in Wichita, Kansas

Sunday 2/12/12
• Rep. Ward will be appearing on Ask Your Legislator.  KPTS Channel 8 beginning at 5:30 p.m.

Link to National Public Radio story on Rep. Ward’s bill to have independent oversight of Medicaid Privatization.

In a continuing effort to ensure that any overhaul of the Kansas Medicaid system is implemented safely and deliberately, Rep. Jim Ward has introduced the KanCare Accountability Act. The KanCare Accountability Act – House Bill 2573 – provides independent oversight and transparency over the implementation and impact of Governor Brownback’s managed care plan.

“The KanCare Accountability Act ensures that promises made are promises kept,” said Ward. “Over 350,000 Kansans depend on Medicaid for health care and Gov. Brownback’s overhaul of the current system is moving alarmingly fast. It would be a mistake for the Legislature to push children, the disabled, and elderly Kansans into a privatized system without offering some assurance that their health care needs will continue to be met.

Ward’s proposal requires an annual, independent audit and evaluation of KanCare contractors (insurance companies hired to provide Medicaid). It ensures that these contractors make no changes in eligibility that will deny people of essential health care. The bill will also ensure that no benefits are cut or eliminated to ensure that all health care treatments that are available now under the current system will remain available. Furthermore, the bill ensures that the amount paid to doctors, hospitals and other providers for services will not be cut. The bill also allows for feedback from providers and beneficiaries as to quality of care they receive or provide under the new system.

“Gov. Brownback has pledged that his KanCare plan will not cut benefits, that it will not cut Kansans eligible and that it will not reduce the amount paid to doctors and hospitals. But there is too much at stake to accept his promise at face value. We must hold the insurance companies accountable,” said Ward.

Under House Bill 2573, the Kansas Health Institute would serve as the independent auditor, contracted through the Legislative Coordinating Council. This is an appropriate vendor for this service in the first years of KanCare implementation, as the organization offers the expertise of former Kansas Budget Director Duane Goossen and former Kansas Medicaid Director Scott Brunner. Most of data will be available through Kansas Department of Health and Environment, the Kansas Department of Aging and Commissioner of Insurance. KHI will collaborate with these agencies to develop a shared database that will guarantee accountability.

“Over $2.8 billion tax dollars are used to purchase health care services under Medicaid,” said Ward. “If we are going to turn this business over to private insurance companies, we must protect the taxpayers money.”

Rep. Jim Ward will be discussing the Governor’s property increase and his risky changes to the public education funding formula on the KPTS Channel 8 program “Ask Your Legislator.

The program will air on February 5th from 5:30 to 6:00 p.m. Viewers will have the opportunity to call in and ask questions.

State Rep. Jim Ward  introduced legislation this week that will exempt the most vulnerable Kansans from efforts to privatize state Medicaid services. Ward’s proposal, House Bill 2457, would keep the developmentally disabled waiver population as part of KanCare’s managed care for medical purposes, but their long-term care non-medical services would be carved out of the program and continue on a “fee for service” model (caretakers, residential care, etc.).

“The Brownback Administration appears to be on the fast track to the privatization of Medicaid,” said Ward. “Regardless of what happens with the Governor’s plan, it is important that any reform efforts are deliberate and implemented safely. We must ensure that critical services for our most vulnerable citizens are not jeopardized.”

Under the KanCare initiative announced last fall by Gov. Brownback, the state’s Medicaid services would be contracted to private companies.  The developmentally disabled waiver population would be included in the managed care system to address both  their medical care as well as their long-tern care expenses. Families and advocates for those with developmental disabilities have expressed concerns that such a move could lead to cuts in in-home health services. There are also currently 4,800 Kansas adults and children on the developmentally disabled waiting list.  The administration is unclear as to how this backlog will be addressed under the KanCare contracts.

The general Medicaid population typically only requires medical attention a few times a year. Those with severe developmental disabilities, however, require much more frequent contact with providers of non-medical services.  Given the needs of this population, it is imperative that they have case managers who are familiar with the community in which they reside, who are aware of the services available locally, and who arrange for those services be provided according to their needs. It is unlikely that an out-of-state, for-profit company would be capable of providing the same level of care currently provided by the state through the CDDOs.

“Our state has an obligation to provide the best quality of life possible for those with severe developmental disabilities,” said Ward.  “My proposal maintains a system that even Gov. Brownback has acknowledged is successful in meeting these critical needs.”

Story posted on Kansas.com questions the costs of Gov. Sam Brownback’s tax propsal. Projections now show the plan, which decreases individual income tax rates while axing many deductions and credits, would cost nearly $90.million in the 2013 fiscal year. That seems to challenge the notion Brownback embedded in his State of the State address a week ago that it would not cost much, if anything, and would fully fund the 2012 budget.

The new figures also spoil Brownback’s insistence that his budget would lead to a 7.5 percent surplus next year.

Read more at Kansas.com.

House Minority Leader Paul Davis, D-Lawrence, along with other democrats offered an alternative to Gov. Sam Brownback’s school finance reform plan Tuesday. Speaking in front of a few hundred K-5 students at Topeka’s Lowman Hill Elementary School, Democratic leaders outlined a three-year plan that would hand $180 million back to schools in the next three years, rather than overhaul the school funding formula, as Brownback has proposed.

Link to Capital Journal report on the Governor’s State of the State Democratic response.

This is a very sad day for Wichita and Kansas. It is heartbreaking that 2,100 highly skilled workers lost their jobs today. It is outrageous we will not be getting the 7,500 jobs promised by Boeing when they got the Tanker contract. Make no mistake Wichita will survive. Kansas will survive. We will be stronger.

Boeing is the poster child for corporate tax incentives. This company has benefited from property tax incentives, sales tax exemptions, infrastructure investments and other tax breaks at every level of government. These incentives were provided in an effort to retain and create thousands of Kansas jobs. We will be less trusting in the future of corporate promises.

Boeing Tax Breaks

KAKE-TV coverage of Boeing announcement

More than 150 people attended a legislative forum Tuesday night to let law makers know their top priorities. Members of the local Occupy Wall Street movement made up a large portion of the crowd.

Participants gave lawmakers their ideas, concerns and requests ahead of the 2012 legislative session that starts Monday in Topeka.

KWCH Legislative Forum Video Report

2012 Kansas Legislative Preview

Audio Report from Representative Jim Ward