By Mike Shields
KHI News Service
TOPEKA, Jan. 4
Gov. Kathleen Sebelius today said she is confident her plan for getting health insurance to all Kansas children ages 5 and under will succeed this session, despite continued rumbles of opposition from the same Republican House leaders who helped kill a similar proposal last year.
The 2007 Legislature kicks off Monday. Sebelius has shared few details of her major agenda items for the new year, which will be spelled out next week when she gives the annual State of the State address to a joint assembly of the House and Senate followed by delivery of her annual budget proposal. But today, at a scheduled press conference, she briefly described a multi-pronged work force training and rural development initiative she will champion this year. And, in response to reporter questions, she defended her child health insurance plan and predicted its passage.
“I”ve found in the past that what I need to do is get a coalition of legislators, whether they”re leaders or on the back bench” she said, describing why opposition from House Republican leaders won”t be fatal to her plan.
The governor said the plan has Senate support, is popular with the public and “is relatively inexpensive.”
It also has been endorsed by the Kansas Health Policy Authority, which among other things is tasked with developing health strategies for the state. Last year, Sebelius estimated her plan would cost $3.5 million. The health authority this year says it would cost between $4 million and $6 million to bring an additional 2,000 children statewide into HealthWave, the program used to provide medical care to low- to moderate-income families, many of which are headed by single mothers. The agency estimates 15,000 children ages 0 to 5 currently lack health insurance.
Recently chosen House Speaker Melvin Neufeld and other key Republicans in the House have said they oppose the plan because they don”t want to encourage individuals to rely on the state for health care or increase the state”s financial obligations.
“The dividing line comes down to (some people”s) core belief that it”s government”s responsibility too see that everyone has health insurance,” Neufeld recently told the KHI News Service, versus “the majority”s belief that health care is a personal responsibility. If we fail to personalize responsibility for health care we”ll be in a downward spiral we”ll never recover from.”
Sebelius opened the press conference held in her Statehouse office anteroom by describing her trip to snow struck western Kansas where thousands of people remained without electricity following winter storms that dumped ice then snow on dozens of counties. She said hospitals, nursing homes and medical services in the region are coping reasonably well with the situation but in some instances are relying on back-up generators.
“All hospitals are up and running,” she said. “The vulnerable populations are taken care of.”
With human health reasonably safeguarded, the Kansas National Guard is now focusing on airlifting feed to stranded cattle, she said.
Sebelius also announced she has asked for a presidential disaster declaration in the 44 affected counties.
“There are 3.7 million head of cattle worth an estimated $3.4 billion in the 44 counties hardest hit by this winter storm,” Sebelius said.
The governor then went on to describe her proposed rural development and job training initiative.
Among its elements:
* Signing bonuses for workers in critical industries, including biosciences and energy;
* State grants for child care to help attract workers in places they are needed;
* Stepped up teacher recruitment and training;
* Using $4.67 million in private grant money to underwrite job training for newly released prison inmates; and
* The creation of a new office, “the Office of Rural Opportunity,” in the Commerce Department with two or three people working specifically on rural development efforts.
Mike Shields is a staff writer for KHI News Service, which specializes in coverage of health issues facing Kansans. He can be reached at
mshields@khi.org
or at 785-233-5443, ext. 123.