2012 legislative session comes to a close

Over the weekend, legislators finally approved a budget and completed the longest ever omnibus session.  Below is a very thorough article provided by Kansas Health Institute's News Service on the results of the session.

Some highlights of the article:

• Waiting lists: $3.6 million in State General Funds (SGF) allotted to help reduce waiting lists.  This will be matched by federal funds, creating a total of $8.2 million for waiting lists.  Only a portion of this money will be directed to persons with developmental disabilities.  Projections estimate approximately 97 persons with DD will be served from the waiting lists.

• KanCare
• Included in the budget bill is a proviso to delay the inclusion of long-term DD services for one year.  The proviso includes language allowing programs to voluntarily participate in pilot programs.
• Legislators did not approve a special oversight committee for KanCare
• Lawmakers did approve funding ($1 million) requested by the Governor to update the Medicaid Management Information System for KanCare.  However they did not approve funding that the Governor sought for a statewide program to inform Medicaid beneficiaries about KanCare.  Nor did they approve funding sought by the Administration to create a new Medicaid Reform health Savings Account for KanCare.

Read More: KHI News Service

May 20, 2012

Gavels drop on 2012 Legislature: 

Longest ever wrap-up session ends after a budget plan is finally approved

In Memoriam: Representative Bob Bethell

Sad news came to us as we heard of the car accident that claimed the life of Representative Bob Bethell.

We all got to know Bob who came to Topeka as a reformer with a fixed perspective on DD issues. His perspective was that the system was in desperate need of reformation, and many things he suggested were strongly opposed and defeated by your advocacy.  It was a several years long struggle to work through those issues. Then over time he, and we,  came to know one another better, and his regard for your work grew each year. He became a strong supporter of your work, and a strong believer in the essential strength and integrity of the DD system. Wounds do heal in the political arena, and Bob became one of our strongest supporters.

He stood up for our work on many occasions, and that was true regardless of the prevailing politics of the day.

In his last few years in office, Bob became known as a RINO (Republican in Name Only), and wore the target without embarrassment or fear. He knew two things, first that he was a Republican in the strongest and most principled ways that he embraced his party’s traditions. And, second, he knew that being a Republican didn’t mean he had to put his principles and his independent thoughts on the shelf, and he wasn’t quiet about it, he spoke out on many issues which put him at odds with some within his own party.

We will always appreciate his work in the last few sessions, to bring light to our issues, to work with legislators on both sides of the aisle, to collaborate with us and seek our  input, and generally, we will appreciate the ways in which he and you and we grew to work in common cause on behalf of disability supports and services in Kansas.

Keep Bob’s family in your prayers.

Tom Laing,

Executive Director, InterHab

LEFT TO RIGHT: Representatives Jerry Henry, Barbara Ballard and Bob Bethell gather outside the Governor's office for the signing of
SB 210; the provider assessment bill passed in 2011.

Provide your Feedback: KS 1115 Waiver Request to CMS

The State of Kansas submission for an 1115 waiver from CMS has, as of a few minutes ago, been posted the CMS website for public comment.  This public comment period will last for 30 days.  The link to submit comments to CMS is:

https://cmsideas.uservoice.com/forums/161089-section-1115-demonstrations-kansas-kan-care-new-

Please note that the CMS public comment forum is much like a “talk back” section for online media, which includes a social media component, i.e. you can ‘vote’ for or concur with others’ posted comments.  Please note that you can concur a maximum of ten times.  Further, please note that your comments are limited to 5,000 words.  It is important to be concise in sharing your concerns with CMS. 

If you would like to read the State of Kansas’ full 1115 Waiver Submission, it can be found at the following link:

http://www.medicaid.gov/Medicaid-CHIP-Program-Information/By-Topics/Waivers/1115/downloads/ks/ks-kancare-pa.pdf

Please feel free to share any concerns you may have.  However, concerns you may wish to express include:

·         There has been a noticeable lack of inclusiveness in the development process of the Kansas 1115 Waiver proposal, as well as the overall development of the KanCare managed care proposal.  
 
There is an unsettling absence stated outcomes for the Kansas I/DD population within the Brownback Administration’s KanCare proposal that would lead to an improved quality of life for these Kansans. 
 
A one-year period of delay for the inclusion of DD long-term care services within KanCare will not be long enough for the State to adequately fix issues that will arise from the implementation of such a sweeping overhaul to the Kansas Medicaid delivery system.
 
  The State of Kansas intends to engage in pilot testing of managed care for DD long-term care services during the one-year delay for implementation of DD long-term care within KanCare.  However, the DD community has not been engaged in the development of such pilot projects.  Further, serious concerns exist regarding whether the State of Kansas can adequately develop, implement and reasonably analyze outcomes from such pilot projects within the one-year delay period.
 
 There are serious general concerns within the Kansas DD community regarding the vulnerabilities of the Kansas I/DD population to the types of sweeping system changes embodied in the Brownback Administration’s KanCare managed care proposal.